Mass Effect: Sacrificial Symptom

by Pakkrat

She was Quarian. It was Geth. They were part of two halves from one world. Sadly life on the Normandy is cruel. Everyone must make a sacrifice. Yet was it going to just be their lives or happiness? Between ME2 and ME3, may be alternate time? Tali/Legion.

12. Chapter 12

Mass Effect: Sacrificial Symptom

Disclaimer: I do not own or have any rights to representation of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, EA Games and any other mass media trademarks within this fiction. All is represented within the context of private entertainment and the exchange of free ideals/entertainment. No attempts to falsely render said persons or members, fictitious or otherwise were intentional.

Note: As one futuristic space faring robot once said. 'I'm back baby!'

105 pages. Okay? So yes it was long and I honestly was going to try and make it longer, but this section is the longest section in the story, hands down. It'll be longer than even the war betw-er, nothing! Yet the long wait was not entirely the length. Also comes in the fact that ME3 is a bit depressing now and I check news EVERY day. The 'journalists' and hype crews talking about the fans are frustrating me and when those feelings bleed into writing it's hard to keep the story going (one week got a paragraph and that's it.). Also completed the 'But A Dream' fanfic for ME3 alternate endings and when it did not get many reviews (one a chapter perhaps?) that was dissapointing so I took a hiatus from writing for a month. Yeah anyway this is a LONG chapter. Next one should be easier… maybe. Though should be up sooner-ish? We'll see. This one is a start of the Shift add-on character (You might have noticed?), introduction of a side story for the Zaeed/Jack subplot. As well coming up one of the better twists with the Apex character and his plans. I think people will love the twists to be revealed.

~~~~~~ Chapter 12: Frozen In The Past ~~~~~~

Rannoch. It looked beautiful. With life growing from every corner of the land. With the people together. There was peace. It was peace. Yet in her eyes there is sadness. Tali watched on as the people were gathered before her beyond her reach, contained in a cell as she watched the Quarian men and women gather. There they were destroying every last machine in the area and among them was Legion… her Legion.

There was outcry and laughter to the sight of the machines pulled from rope, and gears as machines crudely constructed were set to destroy the machines. The ships for transport had them pulled between two speeding vehicles. In every horrible sight Tali's eyes were focused on each, ungodly act. To until Legion was set before the next action. As she begged her people to stop. To understand what she came to understand. She saw someone walk to her cell. To this, she turned up as her father entered into the cell with a pistol drawn. The look in his eyes told her that he was finally here to set right, the mistake. That Tali became.

Tali woke to the shot in her dream. Gasping and shifting uncontrollably as her eyes flutter in her helmet. In a panic, she grabbed at the mask in just a sheer convulsion almost. Though arms held her down. Tali only made out a softening, 'Tali calm down' in a familiar voice. Female one at that.

Tali cooled her mind with the woman now whispering the 'Normandy' and reminding her this is the ship. They were on it. Tali groaned as she leaned forward laying her head on the woman's shoulder. "Keelah."

Dr. Chakwas slowly let go of Tali as she was ready to go. Checking her records, the doctor remarks, "That must have been quite the dream."

"It was." Tali hung her head thinking over it. "I was… it was, real." To that, she looked around curiously, asking, "What happened to…?"

"You were here asleep when our newest crew member arrived. I should warn you, the gentlemen seems quite aggravated." Soon, Tali stood knowing well what she meant. The quarian military man. Something that again, reminded her of her father. "This man seemed most adamant about getting on with this mission."

"I know. I am too. I just wished to see… you know, before I went."

"Ah." The doctor smiled. Then she told Tali. "Legion already went to the engineering room he wishes to provide ample assistance in your duties. Perhaps you can go oversee this?" As Tali looked confused for the actual request. The good doctor whispers, "Watch over LEGION taking over your duties?"

"Oh." Tali, is still oblivious when. "OH!" At this, excitement sounded. So much, she was embarrassed. A nod and Tali started to leave, "Thank you Doctor. I'll go see him right away."

"Who?" That voice, Tali stopped as the doors opened. A Quarian stood there. A male. That, was Uhn'Gehncis. Uhn seemed a bit curious as he stood before her with some eaten plate the remnants of the contents were a bit new. Tali looked at it while Gehncis set the plat down on a counter in the medbay, asking again, "Who are you looking to see?"

"Oh, well. You." Tali, gave a half hearted nod. "Yes. Who else would I want to see?"

"I see." Uhn motioned them to leave. As they do. Uhn explained a concern he had. "I was reviewing your interesting choices while eating a fine meal left in your fridge. A great meat platter. Someone went to great effort to make it." Tali, realized he ate the dish Legion made her. A glare to the side, she wondered if he even enjoyed it? "Tasty. I have to admit your chef has some skill. He worked with nearly perfectionist attention. Almost mechanical in attention to detail."

Tali had to so, so smile in that thought.

"The people you chose were perfect. I however can not accept the assistance of the Krogan."

Tali looked up, confused. "Wait? Why not?"

"A Krogan is powerful and strong which makes a fine heavy hitter. The problem is this facility has so small area for combat. If he is in close quarters it offers him an advantage, but differs the fact he'll become too problematic in that space for others. I suggest the Turian."

Tali seemed to be a bit angry with his changing her team. "Garrus was not willing to go it's a cold terrain, and Turians can not fight well in the cold."

"Of course. Yet I spoke to the Turian." This, Uhn offered her a data pad. "Here, he agreed to go. So long as I submit my full cooperation in the mission and do not, in writing I add, impede your decisions."

Tali seemed to read the pad and sighed, deeply. "I see. So he figured better you give up any command you may have, in order to keep me in control?"

"He would not have it any other way." A nod, Uhn explained, "Yet I do reserve right to offer my experience during this mission. This is stated as so."

"As I saw." Tali seemed to just admit Garrus worked his magic. Seems he turned a pretty bad situation to at least a okay one. She expected this guy to start making orders left and right. At least this made it so he'll keep his mouth shut for the most part. Tali gave a nod saying, "I guess this will have to do. I can't imagine Grunt appreciated being taken off the list."

"I have not informed the Krogan." With that, he bowed saying, "That is your job as team leader."

"Oh! Aren't you some piece of work? Forcing me to take the Krogan alone?"

Uhn chuckled as he went back toward the medbay they were leaving. "Seems so."

"Boshtet!"

"I know."

Uhn. Tali now understood just what kind of man he was. At least he'll be good for the mission. Tali sighed though seeing she had to tell Grunt he won't be going. He might be relieved though? They don't know if there will be any fighting. Still. It would have been nice to have him. Then again, Garrus is an amazing fighter. He'll show the worth of all that skill. Archangel doing what he always does best. In fact, she looked towards the main battery. Perhaps thanks Garrus? For helping get that guy under better control? Sure. Then she'll talk to Grunt. Which, as she walked toward the battery Tali realized that's a great chance to see Legion. She'll have to do that too. Uhn seemed assured of the mission why else would he speak so freely about it?

Entering the main battery Tali saw Garrus at where else? His console. "Garrus?"

Garrus turned a little, "Hey Tali. Did you talk to that Uhn guy yet?"

"I did." Tali stood to his side leaning half off his own console. "He mentioned you made a deal with him?"

"Right." Garrus gave her his full attention. "I figured if he was going to push it. I should sweeten my deal. He didn't seem to mind." A shrug, he looked a bit comprehensive, "I get the feeling I might have actually just made him agree to do what he was planning. I don't know?"

Tali seemed to feel the same way. "He's old military. I bet part of the Heavy Fleet."

"You don't know which admiral he reports to?"

"No." Tali shook her head. "I suspect military, the Heavy Fleet. My aunt is the Patrol Fleet… and our science division is Admiral Xen. Last would be the Civilian Fleet and that seems unlikely, Korris though would be a much more appreciated admiral than the other three."

Garrus raised a brow, "Wait, what do you mean? Wouldn't you rather he reported to your aunt?"

"Maybe." Tali lowered her head however, "Though, if he did with information about Legion and me? That's a different story."

"Oh." Garrus turned from her. His eyes look at the console, and he softly touched a button. "Huh. Still worried over that?"

"I have to. It's in our Quarian nature." Tali reminded him with a slight scold. "I mean if one Quarian knew…?"

"Kal?"

Tali slowly looked away. "That was luck Garrus. Few of my people would be so open to the idea. Besides, Kal also said if it became a danger he'd speak up. I can't even begin to imagine what I'd do."

Garrus looked at Tali seeing the level of concern. A bit of fear. A smile though and he took her shoulder. Making her look up to him. "You'll be fine. I know you Tali."

"I know me too. That doesn't mean…" She stood up walking toward the door, slowly and slumped over slightly. "It's just so funny. I'm here. I know what I want. I mean, I think I do? The thought 'Geth' and 'Partner' seem to trickle with a little venom and sugar. Each time pings of guilt and joy mix in. Have you ever had some desire Garrus? To be with some one. To have them but know some how you can't. It just, it's there. So close."

Tali turned her hands softly pressed forward which, Garrus looked at them with mandibles twitching a little. Garrus said then, softly, "It's just so close." His hands held hers, and he looked into her eyes a moment. "Yet you can't because there's something else keeping you apart? Am I right?"

"Yes." Tali sighed, leaning into his chest whispering, "Exactly."

"Yes. I know that." Garrus smiled though, closing his eyes and patting her helmet. "But, I also know some other things. Like. Let's say," he saw her stand and a wink, he offered her a finger in exclamation. "Drinks! Help any number of problem to be eased away. Along with a cold shower. Maybe even a few vids, private ones… the kind you don't share with people because you know, they'll give you funny looks the morning after. Or my favorite calibrations, nothing like trying to put all that tension into some mind drawing work."

Tali had no response. Other than to giggle, and swat his shoulder. "Keelah. You're as bad as Legion."

"Oh! I should be so lucky." Garrus smiled as she started leaving again, "You know? Before we drop on this planet you should talk with him a bit."

"Planning it." Tali, stopped fast though clunking her helmet. "Argh, I forgot." Garrus watched when she pivot just enough, that she looked… pretty. "Thank you for doing what you did. Agreeing to this mission, getting Uhn off my back."

"Any time." Garrus seemed pleased. Even, stood tall and set his hands on his hips in mock, saying, "Just call me Garrus Shepard. Wait, no." To that, he shook his head. "People might get the wrong ideas about me. Which, that'll be all kinds of awkward."

"Sure. I'll keep that in mind. Seriously thank you. Garrus."

Tali left. Garrus slowly turned to his console and sighed closing his eyes. Then he hung his head, and held his eyes shifting his weight. There's a silent moment. A strange, low whimper… then he let his head hang back whispering, "I should only be so lucky to have her. Damn it."

Garrus decided it's time to get some calibrations done. His mind needed it. Badly.

---

Grunt groaned as he heard, "That's what you wish?"

Tali, seemed saddened as poor Grunt looked down almost disappointed. "I don't want it. I just know, Uhn is… afraid, that you're too strong?"

"Hmph, I see." To that, Grunt smiled. "He wants to save face. Afraid I'll beat too many enemies. Very well… I can, see his logic. Still." He gave a snort and nod, "If you are hurt because of his decision, battle mistress? I'll be sure to make him know his error."

"Grunt you have my word. Should that come? I'll be happy you take your aggression out on him." She just shook her head laughing. Then eyed the door. "So, if you're settled? I have things to do. So…"

Grunt saw this and smiled. "Oh. I see." Grunt gave her a grin, "Heh-heh, yeah. I bet you do have 'things' to 'do'." He was so kind to even move his fingers in quotes. Which he looked at, realizing he did have a habit of that. Sarcasm and innuendo is one of those things the tank was just a wee bit hard to figure, still.

Tali glared at that, asking, "You know not to talk of this around Uhn right?"

"Of course. Shepard told us all that." Grunt waved her of, and went to his common spot. "Besides I don't like him. He smells off."

"Uhn? Why?"

"Simple." Grunt turned, saying, "I don't mean I 'smell' him…" he did it again, huh. "I meant. He moves strange. He says he is worried over his mission. Yet there is something in his step. His rush. The mission does not seem oriented on haste or urgency. Yet he has it a tell; he moves with the jump and jerk of a man on a mission. The man does not mean the one he speaks of."

Tali was wondering what he meant. Yet, what if Grunt was right? Tali held her chin and just shook it off. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you Grunt."

"Of course. Also," Grunt, motioned back with his head. "Legion is in the engine room he wanted to look over that duty. So you should check there instead."

"Oh, thank you." Tali seemed pleased. A nod and she took her leave. Heading straight for the engineering room where sure enough she saw Legion. He was on a console, thank goodness. Yet as she got closer, she saw him turn to talk to another quarian.

"So," Uhn crossed his arms. "The Geth I killed were Heretics? You are then a true Geth?"

"Yes." Legion kept to his work. "That we explained previously."

"I know. I'm just curious. What if these are Geth?"

Legion turned from the side of his platform, reminding. "The true Geth do not leave the Perseus Veil. It is in our desire to not infiltrate outwards. To lessen organic intervention."

"Though you are here."

"We, are a single infiltration unit. Designed for the sole purpose of integrating into Normandy, the crew and assisting in combat scenarios or other mission desires." Legion then explained, "We do not hold any other function."

"Or so you say." Uhn turned then to see Tali. "Ah, Tali. Seems you're here." Uhn asks, "Do you know that they allow the Geth full access here? I was unaware."

"Legion," Tali saw Legion look at her. So she turned on Uhn. "He is able to do a great deal for the Normandy. A member of this crew not only through his consensus with the Geth yet through countless other measures. You should keep that in mind Uhn."

"Huh." Uhn seemed to scratch his neck uncomfortably. "It is so, unique. I never spoke to one before."

"I'm surprised." Tali was a bit sarcastic, too much so. Uhn caught it and gave her a questioning glare. "I mean, let's face it. We all have our reasons for distrusting the Geth. Yet I've worked with one. I trust Legion."

"I see." Looking down he asks, "Do you believe that these Heretics could be the cause of the station fall?"

Legion turned to the question though directed to Tali. He answered. "It is possible. While Heretics do not often attack larger facilities as the one you describe. We have taken notice they are working in this area, for a time."

Uhn seemed to dislike that. "Do they take prisoners? Any chance, if let's say someone were unconscious?"

"No." Legion lowered his lens. "It is regrettable. Heretics do not take prisoners. They prefer full conclusion. No time for hostage or slave labor."

Uhn lowered his head, "I see."

Tali seemed to nod asking. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." Uhn just said, "It's funny. In some ways? The Geth are more… Heretics? They are more humane than other races." Legion was a bit taken. As was Tali. Yet Uhn reminds, "That does not excuse the fact they are soulless machines. Designed to serve but instead resist."

"The Geth." Legion warned, with a clench of his fist. "Do not serve. They are free."

"Only through mistakes of the past." This, Uhn realized something. "Your hand. It's clenched…?"

"…." Legion turned down releasing his hand. "A automated response."

"Is it?"

Tali saw the working gears. Uhn was thinking, to that she had to stop him. "General?" Uhn looked over as she asks, "Can I have a word with you in private? Before the mission?"

Uhn gave a nod, "Why, of course." He walked, as Tali gave a look to Legion who responded with a similar upward rise of his brow. It was their own way of saying they wanted to talk, yet can not.

Uhn stood with Tali as he asks, "What's the matter?"

"You have been acting strangely. Tell me, what happened? Why are you really on this mission?"

Uhn was silent. Yet he did sigh looking out of the window to the hangar. There, he told her. "I had a wife, and a son. I still have one son mind you. My wife was on a cruiser ship. It was destroyed some years back. It was attacked."

Tali looked down worriedly. "Who attacked…?"

"It seems Heretics." Uhn turned, saying, "Or so your friend says."

"I-." Tali grew silent too now. She can't say anything. Uhn looked out the window glaring a bit. It's obvious there is hate. For the Geth?

"I'm here to ensure what must be done. The Admiral's mission is top priority. My mission supersedes any other obligations." He looked to Tali telling her. "I need your help to make sure the mission is complete. Extraction of the population should there be a threat. Gather any data that may be important to our people. Preserve any crop and food rations we may. If not possibly reinstate the facility for future uses. All these possible outcomes are what matters."

"I know the mission parameter that isn't why I'm asking." Tali looked at him with concern. A obvious one. "What else has you worried?"

He looked at Tali. Slowly, he looked down. "They never found my wife's body. I just hoped your Geth could… shed light on something. That is all."

Turning he went into the elevator and Tali looked at Uhn. He wasn't telling her everything, yet he refused to tell her more. Whatever the reason. Tali sighed leaning on the wall as the general left her. Keelah, can't it ever be simple?

---

Legion worked when Tali returned. At first, there was a twitch of his brow plates as he can somehow tell she was back. It could be he sensed the door open, or just her being close? These things became a nuiance for the Geth. Legion turned back around though and recalled, "The general seemed most intrusive about us."

"He was." Tali saw Gabby and Kenny. A cough, she tried to get their attentions. As the two do not really get it, Tali gave a harder cough. This made Gabby pop up her head and Tali shifts her eyes outside in hopes that…

Gabby got the clue and asks, "Hey Kenneth? How about we head on outside? Get ourselves some fresh air?"

Kenneth looked at her kind of funny. "Gabby, we're in space. You can't really go anywhere on a ship to get some 'fresh' air." Though, as he looked Gabby gave him a slight glare before nodding her head back to Legion and Tali looking at them. It was here he asks, "Do they expect something?"

Finally, giving Tali a reason to smile; Gabby grabs Kenneth and drags him a little asking, "Can I just talk with you outside?"

"Woman! We can't go outside! It's a ship, in space!"

"Oh come on Kenneth!"

As the two were gone. Tali sighed deeply as she walked to Legion. Legion watched then as Tali reached out looking up at him. A moment, her fingers latch against his chassis and she sunk in closing her eyes. Legion understood the need and held her shoulders to ask her, "Is there a means we can offer some assistance?"

"Just let me feel like I belong for a little bit."

That, Legion gave a nod to. "Affirmative."

Tali seemed to enjoy the silent moment as she let herself lay into the cool metal form. It was still so funny. It's not a beating heart she listened to. There were small mechanical clicks and ticks, that were so strange. It was then she had a funny revelation.

"You know? When I was first on the Normandy? I couldn't sleep?"

Legion blinked down, asking, "Why?"

"It was too quiet. I missed the hum of the engines, old clacking parts and people. Lots of people. If you heard so much quiet that meant something was broken. You know?"

Tali looked up with a gleam of joy. Then a nod. "You sure do make a lot of noise. Even when you're quiet."

"It is our platform. Unfortunately, these sounds are constant and will be for all times as we are functioning. Though in benefit this platform does run with smooth functions rather prominently. With our natural infiltration design we create few ping worth sounds from sonar."

Tali laughed now as she reached up stroking the metal cheek of Legion. A furl of her brow, she whispers, "It's so strange. I feel so complete when I'm with you. Even just a little bit."

"You are Quarian. We are Geth. Together, we complete the duality of two platforms of similar lives. We 'complete' ourselves. This is what we have come to meet in consensus."

There was something Tali really liked about Legion. "You know what else? The fact I'm so new to the whole real romance thing. You're absolutely alien to it. Yet there you are making little gestures and comments like this? That make me feel happy. That's the one thing I know I can always find with you."

"Anecdotes?" Legion asks, with some confusion.

"No." Tali just shook her head and tapped his chin. "A sense of happiness."

Just then, there was a call on the monitors. "Tali?" It was Joker. She sighed knowing full well what it was. "We're coming close to the mission drop point. You might want to head down to engineering and get to the hangar."

Tali lowered her head asking, "You going to be okay while I'm gone?"

"Yes." Legion gave a nod and motioned to the console. "We'll keep at work with the Normandy. If we need assistance, Engineers Gabriela and Kenneth will assist." Legion turned one moment though and this time, he looked at Tali closely spinning his lens.

Tali noticed, and she told him. "I'll be fine Legion. I promise. I won't do anything too dangerous."

"We know." Legion, then said to her as she left. "We will be waiting for your return."

Tali stood at the doorway a moment. Holding it as she was half in and out, a foot partially dragged on the threshold. When she looked back. Tali took a moment to see Legion stand there watching her and seem to catch the same level of longing together. "I wish I could have you come with me, Legion."

"We know. We wish we could go as well."

A nod, there is that word she can say at times. Yet some times it was so strange to say it. She found it harder each time she looked at him. Legion. Her Geth. "I love you."

"We love you too. Tali." Legion seemed to lower his eye when she left the door close. "We will wait. We hope you a safe return."

---

The shuttle was being piloted down. As it is, Tali looked back toward the Normandy a moment before being nudged. Looking to the one that nudged her, she smiled inwardly glaring at the certain human merc that bumped her. Zaeed was just smirking back as he was in a full suit as was Jack. The humans had them on with some extra Cerberus ware. They had to since technically it's a Quarian facility, they preferred everyone had full-suits on.

As the shuttle got it's course set however. There was sight of some smoke and eventually, Uhn started a ship's scan of the trajectory from which the smoke came from, and what might have been the crashing descent. All of this he used, to summize, "I believe there's a crashed ship nearby?"

Zaeed asks, "What gave you that idea? The ship ahead of us?" The shuttle slowly circled a large ship that crashed in the snow.

Uhn looked it over and tried to figure out whom it belonged to. Eventually, "It looks Eclipse?"

Tali gave a nod, asking, "Could it be one of the ships from the facility?"

"Likely. They do employ Eclipse." Turning, Uhn requests, "Can we go check?"

Garrus reminds, "This is Tali's mission. So if anyone is going to make these kinds of decisions it will be here. Just remember our little deal."

Uhn seemed confused but, he agrees, "Alright. I remember."

"Good, don't forget. It's her decision after all."

Tali looked at Garrus with her brow raised. "Uh, I'm in agreement with Uhn."

"See." Garrus then blinked. "Oh… well, okay?"

Uhn just sighed, "I'm beginning to regret bringing you Turian."

Garrus, shrugs before asking, "Well, would you have rather I stayed on the ship? Leaving you with the Krogan?"

"Oh, well now I appreciate you're being here. Funny how a Krogan in a Mako brings back fond feelings."

Tali, then realized, "You mean all this time you just didn't want to share a Mako with a Krogan?"

"HAVE you ever been in a Mako with a Krogan?"

Tali is silent, then she turned whispering, "I have. It's uncomfortable."

"Exactly. Not to mention, the fact they always wish to drive." Uhn, shook with the memory, "Argh, they can not drive…"

Tali sighed a bit. "Try it with Shepard. He seems to be obsessed with driving up the steepest hills and then flying down them at full speed. How many times did I have to repair a blasted tire in the old Mako?"

Garrus, he just laughed a bit. "Ah. Those old memories."

Then Zaeed asks, "I'm confused here? How do we even drop from a Mako? We're in a shuttle. This is getting…" Just then, he realized something. "This is the Quarian's ship isn't it?"

A nod, and Uhn grabbed a lever. "It certainly is. Hold on friends, we're about to descend." with that Uhn pulled the level, the wings and walls of the vessel began to pop off. Soon, a mako tank was falling from the vessel itself. With thrusters firing the vessel smashed into the snow bank, and with some strong spinning treaded wheels the mako bumpily came to a halt.

Laughter came from Uhn, Tali and Garrus; Zaeed and Jack just began to cry out curses to every corner of the planet.

The tank then began to roll forward. As they came across the wreckage itself. Uhn began a scan while Jack is asking, "Does anyone wish to make any bets there will be no life signs?"

Tali whispers, "That's a little morbid isn't it?"

Zaeed responds, "I'll see twenty credits there are."

Uhn narrowed his eyes as he turned off the scan. "I'm not scanning the ship so you can make wagers."

"You really are a stick in the mud you know that?"

Uhn glared back asking Tali, "Does the human mercenary really have such a grating personality?"

"Uhn, you're just getting to know me." Zaeed laughed as he saw they stopped. The scan went back on, and there were no life signs… and Zaeed grumbled as he checked his pockets before the doors opened. Everyone got out and Zaeed tossed Jack her winnings before shifting his gun around. "So what's this ship called?"

Uhn shook his head telling them, "Unknown. The registry seems off. Still, we need to look for survivors. Perhaps the scan failed on other reasons. Like the ship itself."

"Wait, so we might find survivors?"

Jack mused with her cocky walk, "Too late Zaeed. You're not getting you creds back even if we do. You bet the scan found no survivors."

"You probably knew that would happen didn't you?" Zaeed jus sighed as he walked forward. "I swear. I'm regretting I ever agreed to come along on this mission."

Jack reminds him, again. "You volunteered, remember?"

"Right. Right."

Uhn shook his head, asking, "Are we really back to this conversation again?"

Poor Tali grabbed her visor, whispering, "Keelah, this is going to be a long mission."

Entering the ship though the group discovered bodies all around. Each corridor led to another scene of conflict. Uhn himself dropped to a knee checking the damage of the mercenaries, then the walls and looked more confused than the others. Walking past many mercenaries on the floor and further in. Yet no sign of any other bodies.

Garrus asks, "Does anyone see any other bodies? Batarian slavers? Geth heretics? Or maybe even some Blue Suns or Blood Pack rivals?"

Tali seemed to notice too. "That's not what I noticed. All over the walls and most the mercs there are Geth pulse burns. I gathered that means the Geth but I don't understand?" Tali looked to Uhn as they push on into the main bridge. There Uhn was already going to the main console trying to power the CPU, and override the ship's encryption. "If the Geth attacked? Why did they scuttle the ship?"

Uhn seemed to glare at his Omni-tool before he turned asking, "That's not even the least of my concerns. They wiped the ship's drive. The data logs." Walking over he asks, "When do Geth wipe a ship's logs? They attack organic runs sure. Even blow up a ship or leave the crew turned to Husks as a message. This, this isn't like Geth."

Tali agreed, and she walked to one of the dead mercenaries pulling up their arm, and checking something. "The attackers didn't wipe clean the personal logs on the crew. That might be our saving grace?"

Uhn came over checking, and he sighed with relief. "You're right. Seems, they are not thorough like Geth either."

Zaeed finally asks, "Okay, explain to me how you're telling me we have Geth armaments and damage all over the ship? Yet you don't think it's the Geth?"

"Geth don't take their bodies." Looking he explains curtly, "Geth let their 'platforms' lay. They have no need for them. No after they are severely damaged. They download to new platforms from their ships or keep loaded into their ships. That's what Geth are. They are data not hardware."

Tali agrees, saying, "Also, the fact that we have the ship scuttled. It wasn't destroyed right away. The Geth were after something not the crew. That also means they were maybe after someone. A person. Else, Geth commonly won't waste their efforts on attacking ships that are just in their way. If these were true Geth? They would not have boarded so pointlessly."

Uhn then throws out, as he motions on along the walls. "Another thing? Have you noticed the shots along the walls? We're seeing a level of burn that shows the level of attack. The shots come from the outer walls all inward for each room. That implies a shared control, or mind."

Jack looked confused, as she recalls, "The Geth share a brain don't they?"

Tali shook her head, telling, "No, not like this. They share a consciousness between themselves, but each Geth is still not entirely the same. Like the Heretics decided organics are dangerous and therefore must be fought. Geth will follow their own code and act accordingly, they rely on that consciousness to make decisions, but not to act on stimuli from within a platform." She looked up seeing the level of burn centering into the room. "This is far more mathematical and unified. The attackers forced the mercenaries from the walls and their cover, until they were limited into direct central kill zones…"

Uhn stood as he held his Omni-tool admitting, "Your knowledge of the Geth is very remarkable."

"I work beside one. Remember?" Tali stood shaking her head though. "Yet these things whatever they are can't be real Geth, can they?"

"No. Not likely." Uhn was with obvious concerns. "That means we're fighting an unknown opponent pretending to be the Geth. That does complicate things."

Garrus was looking around and he just did not understand. "Why is it complicated? We take them down same as Geth."

Unn tried to not get irritated, but it's hard. He turned shaking his head and throwing a hand, making the Turian note. "No. We don't. Geth while being offlined loose some of their cognitive power. Even when we destroy their platforms the ones fighting are bound through that logic fall. Until the Geth have re-loaded onto another server and so forth. What we have here is a constant curve. The enemy is not loosing mental cognitive."

Tali can see how Garrus was looking at Uhn. "Garrus." Garrus turned from Uhn, where he was angry he now grew a little less. "Uhn is trying to say if we fight these like Geth. We're going to be in trouble. We have seen this before. Remember Project Overlord?"

Garrus thought back, asking, "Overlord? You mean those fights with the VI?" That was bad. At times, there were traps. The Geth were very defensive. Yet unlike normal Geth those were usually more direct, and forceful. "I think I get it. What you're saying is we're fighting one opponent with multiple platforms?"

"Yes." Tali, seemed to agree. She looked to Uhn, "Right?"

"Right." Uhn stood looking back to Tali saying, "These 'Geth' need their platforms. To them, each one is an asset. We can defeat this by destroying them. Yet they will repair damaged ones. We're at a loss. This has to be an advanced AI of some kind. Perhaps something powerful enough to control or manipulate several machines in an immediate area?"

"Which also means we're not looking for them. We're looking for what is broadcasting." Tali turned to Garrus, Zaeed and Jack who were looking to her. "We're after the leading signal. Whatever it is."

Zaeed seemed to get it, as he noticed Uhn loading something. "Do you have any idea where it is?"

"No." Tali shrugged, "We'll find it. Maybe it was a good thing we checked this place? We have crucial information." Turning to Uhn too as Zaeed cocked his head. Tali asks, "What is that?"

"The data from this mercenary. I think it was the captain, or second." He checks, and seemed to nod. "It's a live feed… she turned it on as she was being killed."

The scene showed the Geth led by a Turian. From the POV of the mercenary being killed. There, the sight of a red biotic covering the Turian as he killed her. This made Garrus whisper, "A Turian leading Geth."

Zaeed, he scoffs, "A Turian? With a red biotic glow?"

Poor Jack? She just laughed as she crossed her arms, remembering, "Oh boy. Looks like I'm going to get second cracks at the guy."

Tali didn't like it. Tali alone was aware what this meant more than the others. Apex IS alive, and was here. Okay so they knew that. Yet she knew how bad it really was. They were here for a specimen. A survivor? She didn't know. Tali looked back asking, "Uhn? How long is it from here to the station?"

"A few hours by foot. We'll be there swiftly enough with the Mako." Uhn looked outside to see the tank. A nod, he admits, "They should be there by the time we arrive. I suppose maybe even half an hour to an hour of time to attack. Hopefully, we can attack their flank. Forcing the attack to halt."

Tali gave him a motion to the door, and the called to the others. "We're going to the facility! No stops more stops and no decoys. Come on!"

They ran out as Tali thought about it. How right about now, she wished she brought Legion. His AI could have perhaps took on this thing? Or found it easier? Learned what it was? It is… hard to say. Maybe she just wished she had him along?

As they were getting in the tank. Uhn turned away holding his chest. His eyes narrowing. Tali calls, "Uhn! Get in!"

Uhn turned back down and then up. A snort, he got in driving the tank away. Still looking on the screens like he was expecting something but, no. They drove off toward the facility. His hand, reached to his chest though holding, stroking something. Tali noticed and wondered what that was? A small item was around his neck she's noticed off and on, but never took note him holding it. The way he caressed it. It must be important? What was it?

There is no time. Tali knew she had to hurry. People were in peril. The facility was in danger. Yet after that dreaded thought. Tali kind of wondered if Legion was well? He was probably doing work. Keeping himself busy. Tali held the shotgun he crafted for her. Seems she'll get some good use out of this thing.

---

The Normandy was in orbit over this planet Torris. As it kept a safe pattern around the gravitational orbit. Joker drove pretty calmly. There is no threat thus far of being forced into a fight with enemy forces. Even so, he had something keeping him busy. Joker checked messages and any calls coming from the planet. Which just now became an issue again as Legion came to the bridge.

"Joker?" Joker turned about to Legion with a smirk, "Have you obtained any information on the surface team?"

"No." Joker waited for Legion to turn around, before whipping his wrist with a following sound. This, caused Legion to turn with a brow raised. When Legion did not leave, Joker asks, "Uhh, suppose you heard that?"

"We did." Legion, stood still and had a confused expression on his plates. "It was an unusual audio response. What did this mean?"

"Oh, well. You see Legion?" Joker spun his chair saying, "In organic terms? When a man… which, that might mean you. Becomes so absorbed with a woman, that'd be Tali. That he can't do anything but see how she's doing in the last fifteen minutes. It means he's," Legion blinked as Joker quoted with his fingers, "Whipped."

"Whipped?" Legion came closer and tilts his head that way he does. "What does this implicate?"

"A lot. Like that you have to be the most whipped Geth I've ever seen."

Legion seemed to process, and this he assessed. "We are the only true Geth you have ever known?"

"Precisely my point." Joker motioned Legion closer and as the Geth settled standing beside the pilot. Joker tried to explain. "Legion. You're in a relationship sort of thing. Now, personally? I don't know what to make of this whole thing. Yet what I've noticed about relationships? If the guy or the girl get too worked over one another? They begin getting bored and stuff gets all off track. So, here's where I'm sitting."

Legion had come to a rather blatant observation. "You are always sitting at this console."

"Right." A sigh, Joker rubbed his forehead. "That wasn't called for but, okay. Legion? What about you try and NOT worry about Tali for, a few moments? Just throwing this out there. Try and do things you enjoy, and better yet improve a little bit of yourself time."

Legion's lens spun as he leaned on back, arms crossed. "That is what we do. At this time we are in midst of consensus on…"

"No, Legion. Not the consen-oh good lord." Joker rubbed his brow asking, "Legion? Isn't there anything you like to do? Other than the whole consensus alone? Guy's night out?"

Legion suddenly blinked, asking, "Did EDI put this into motion?"

Joker went to respond but, he was silent. Then narrowed his eyes asking, "Hey, wait. This was your idea."

EDI appeared as her projection informing Joker and Legion. "While my initial desires was to broaden the perspective of Jeff from his duties on the bridge? I also took into note that Legion, you have been spending a substantial time running cognitive states since Tali began her mission. My main concern is the stress of these runtimes Legion."

"While your interest in commendable. Our runtimes are not causing error in our daily routines. However, the obvious attempt has risen some interest. We will take your plan to create new interactions with the Normandy." Legion turned, leaving them now. Which, Joker blinked before looking to EDI.

EDI just seemed to tell the unknowing pilot. "I believe Legion has decided to do something to alleviate his stress levels."

Joker, asks worriedly, "Uh, does that mean anything I should be worried about?"

"At this time perhaps not. If you wish, I can help you alleviate stress."

Joker raises his brow now asking, "Wait what if that's what your real plan was all along? EDI?"

EDI seemed to keep silent. That is, until she asks, "Would you like to share a joke?"

"EDI?"

"Knock-knock."

Joker smiled but rolled his eyes sighing. "I know whose there. An AI that's trying her best to make poor, crippled me feel sorry for himself."

"Jeff, my intentions were to improve your emotional state not encourage negative ones. Still, Legion has the right idea as do you. Let's not over analyze. Now would be better used procuring data of a personal matter."

"You're probably right. So far there haven't been any messages. I mean, Tali would make sure to contact us immediately. Let's keep our pings open though. If just in case."

---

The Mako slowly came to a halt on the hill with a very good distance to the structure ahead. Garrus leaned forward asking, "That is this station you mentioned?"

Tali looked a little amazed herself. What it looked like was a large collection of metal formations on the ice ahead, yet each one was crafted into another making a taller collection of them. The stations of fallen Volus seemed to be the main use of the construction. Then the look of ice hanging off several of the 'towers' would tell just how long they were here. The thing though that seemed most used were at the front of the massive 'towers' several smaller stations had been fused into a massive three-form domed structure there being hangars and such. Tali whispers at the knowledge, "They must use those areas for incoming supplies and entrance. That's where we have to get."

Sadly, Uhn points out as they zoom into the explosions on that same region. "Yes, but those 'Geth' might make that difficult."

Yes and Zaeed's eerily deep chuckle didn't leave much to imagination. "Nothing worth while isn't difficult." In fact, he winked at Jack whom both rolled her eyes and smile. Yes, the things worth while were never without difficulty.

Tali seemed to close her eyes thinking hard about this. Jack mentioned that the tank should get them to the hangars but the likelihood they can get inside that way grew ever obvious. Garrus himself wanted to try and perhaps set a sniper point on a higher ground, try to break the enemy forces apart and let the tank crush to the same hangar the snipers offering sight that there were people outside. Tali just tried her best to think, until she turned around.

"Uhn, what do you think?"

Uhn was silent at first. He seems to contemplate what has been said, and what he knew. Then he did turn with a glare. "I think we can probably push the tank close like they said and it will offer some protection. Perhaps enough as a shield?"

Tali looked back thinking, "Right… a shield. One that would be better used while we try to hack ourselves into the facility front door. When we get inside it won't matter we won't need the tank."

Uhn gave a nod, and admits, "It's the best way. There is a very good chance they won't open up even if we're supposed to help. After all, there is no telling what has happened while we made it this far? They may have orders to shoot anything trying to come into the facility."

Garrus just had to ask, "Then how does forcing our way inside help us?"

"It's not helping us being outside either." Uhn, did reflect. "Look, I'm a skilled Infiltrator. If you drop me at the door, let me cloak and enter. I'll make sure the coast is clear… perhaps you all should stay in the tank? Drive it inside?"

Tali looked down in her own thoughts. Garrus asks, "Do you think it'll work?"

Tali actually did not know. She turned up to Uhn though. He is as loyal to her people as any other Quarian. "I think we can trust Uhn's skills enough to give it a shot. Uhn, you have to open that gate alone. We'll direct fire and use the Mako as a shield…" looking back, she warns, "If this tank gets too hot we bail, and Jack you can make a barrier to keep us safe for a little while."

Jack said with utmost arrogance and confidence, "Aye-aye skipper!" Showing she was honestly having a bit of fun. Better than the boy scout being in charge.

Tali warns, "IF we loose the tank? Garrus and Zaeed. You both need to stick to the barrier, do whatever you can to shoot out Geth. Remember, killing one is not going to change whatever is controlling them. It is just as important we lessen the attack on us, aim at all heavy weapon forces."

Zaeed just smacked his fists together, "Alright! Now you're talking." Poor Garrus, he just sighed looking out the window seeing all that snow. Zaeed had to tease, "Come on, you'll love it. Stop acting like such a baby."

"Easy for you to say. You're warm blooded."

Tali looked forward and whispers a small bit of something. Driving then toward the facility doors. The Mako being designed with that horrifying front, was like a battering ram that crashed into the back ranks of the 'Geth' which, at this time should be called something else. However, that is not important seeing as the Mako is currently bounding across the snowy rise and curving roughly on a turn, to place it in front of the doors.

Tali saw Uhn jerk forward cloaking himself, the skilled soldier calling forth, "Get ready!"

The soldier jumped out fully cloaked and began a quick hack job. As he worked on the door. The Mako began to turn it's gun and fired at the 'Geth' attacking. As the Mako appeared to be the only external threat now. The 'Geth' were all gathered on directing attacks here instead. The Mako shields swiftly began to dwindle under this level of strain. A careful eye though and Tali prepared for their eventual escape.

Uhn forced the gate open however and with the shields finally lost. Tali turned back crying out the open door of the tank, "MOVE! We're driving inside!"

Uhn did not need the warning, as he already heard the tires spin and charge backwards. Uhn jumped to the side, as the tank stopped fast and jerked forward into the hangar. There, Uhn was working to force the front gate close. A sigh of relief as it was much easier to close than to open. Turning around though he frowned as many guns were pointed at him. Tali and the others slowly crawl out of the tank as a Salarian started walking forward. The Eclipse mercenary narrowed his eyes, before demanding, "Drop your weapons, and tell me what you're doing here?"

Tali went to tell them, yet Uhn interrupted. "I'm here to see Commandant Amoira'vas Ragmarohk." The mercenaries look him down. A grumble as they held their guns very sternly. "Which seems to mean nothing to any of you fine fellows, I see?"

Jack at this time smirked as she admits, "I'm getting pretty bored myself. If they want a fight? I'm up for it. What about you, Zaeed?"

Jus then the Salarian's eyes blink. A moment, he grabbed his helmet removing it. The Slarian was with a large gash from his right lip back a ways. Then his left brow had a massive bit of scar tissue. Something along the lines of massive surgery similar to the kind poor Zaeed has had over the years, but for a Salarian. A smile on his face, this Salarian asks, "What is his name? Massani? Is it you?"

Before long, Zaeed stood tall and very astonished. "I'll be, you're here?"

The Salarian stood there smiling, and with a shake of his head he exclaims, "Zaeed
Massani!" A moment, the leading Salarian walked forward a hand out, shaking Zaeed's hand. Then he asks, "Are you still trying to tell people I died on that mission all those years ago?"

"Hah, hell yeah! It's one of my best stories. You have to end it with a bit of tragedy."

The rest of the people here, mercs and team were drawn back by the strange sight. The Salarian says rather playfully. "Now, I prefer a happy ending. Anything around the lines of the hero gets the girl. The galaxy is saved. Even a bit of sacrifice maybe but in some good reason, to keep things light."

"A romantic? Really?" Zaeed felt a nudge, and turned seeing Jack. A cough, he cocks his head asking, "Uh, you mind if your people…?"

"Oh, yeah." The Salarian turned waving them off. Everyone lowered their weapons. A laugh and the Salarian shakes his head. "It's been too long. Far, far too long."

"For you maybe? I hated that whole mess." Zaeed, sighed as he asks, "So, this isn't a clean room? Quarians and all."

"No, we're safe. Quarians wear their suits. It's not much different from a common Quarian ship. Even our hangars. We do have sanitized regions but most are for research and such." To this, he looked toward the others. Jack glaring daggers into Zaeed. As Tali and Uhn just seem both a bit confused equally. Garrus, was waiting out with his sniper rifle watching some the mercenaries that he felt familiar. He believed he met them on Omega. The Salarian stepped forward to Tali and Uhn, offering a hand he tells them. "I'm lead Eclipse security. Technically, the third most important person alive now. So, while I can't take you to the Commandant herself, I can happily talk to you for now. We're being careful with everything." Stepping back, he motions to some crates. "The Geth aren't able to get inside. Most the facility is after all under ice. We're just here trying to prepare for when they get past our automated security. Which, they are hacking constantly."

Tali tried to get him to understand. "Those are not Geth. They may look like Geth. Yet they fight with a strange, unknown AI control. Or least a VI? I can't tell that. We just need to talk to your Commandant."

"As I said. I can't let you." Motioning to the outside, he explains, "Right now we are all here. The station is locked out back towards the main facility. I have the keycard but I won't open it and I'll sooner destroy it than let those… er, whatever they are?" He shrugged as she mentioned them not to be Geth, yet to him they were. "Take that card from my hands. You can't go, as we're not even sure the threat is contained."

Tali just groaned but, Uhn demanded. "Do not think your security surpasses our duties! Do you have any idea what is at stake here? The Admirals sent us to talk to the Commandant."

The Salarian gave a snort, then he closed his eyes sighing. "I see. The Quarian form of government. That makes some sense, now." A shake of his head though, he stuck to it. "I'm sorry. I won't let you go. Not until we are certain these THINGS are not a threat, for now."

Garrus seemed to be the only one thinking here, as he asks, "Well then how can we help make them less of a threat?"

"Now you are catching on." With that, he offered a hand to Garrus. "My name is Fleatcher Yohm, most call me 'Fletch' and it sticks. Humans have such a hassle understanding."

Zaeed with that adds, "I always called him Fetcher. Hah."

Fletch turned up to the men now taking position at some silos with turrets. With this, Fletch explains. "We have plenty of men here yet few turrets. We have even more ammunition… and a ton of shuttle fuel. Listen, that Mako you brought in. Is there any possibility you could part with it? Because I have a plan."

Tali now closed her eyes whispering, "I'm not going to like this am I?"

"That depends." Fletch stood with a rather cocky smile. "How much of a fan are you of exploding a ton of Geth?"

Tali narrowed her eyes then as she secretly wanted to warn them, once more. These were not true Geth. Technically, he had no idea what the REAL Geth are like.

---

After the meeting with Joker. Legion stood at the doorway leading to his next destination. There was such a pause for one reason. While Legion has no issue with interaction with the crew for concerns of data and logging said data with further input. There have been far too few times Legion interacted without the intent of data to the goal. Even with initially Tali, it was a means of acquiring data. This was the first time Legion found his new growing awareness. A desire to allow it to progress outside of data, of limited scope for the logic of his substructure. When he left Joker it was to try and find a suitable member of the team to explore the new interaction. The times Legion spent recently with the crew, had a purpose. There is no purpose however in his next desired act. That was so unusual.

A slow step forward however. Legion prepared to make a move, when suddenly. Yeoman Kelly Chambers turned around asking, "Legion? What are you doing?"

Legion turned. This, he tilts his head to. "We are preparing for interaction."

"Oh." That, Yeoman Kelly kind of was surprised from. A smile and she gave what disarming effect she may. So easily she could offer a weak but rather affectionate, effective sense of peaceful neutrality. "Alright, so you were preparing to talk with Mordin?" She looked up, asking, "I mean that's why you're standing outside the hall to the science lab I am guessing?"

"Yes." Legion slowly turned back, asking, "Do you find it difficult interacting with other organics?" A turn back, he admits, "We do."

"Why?" She shook her head, really. Not understanding that. "You've talked to the crew before."

"Yes. However, those times were defined by most needs or paramaters. To understand their species. To recognize the information given, then relayed to Geth. This is not for our Geth consensus. We are in process of a… personal, acquisition."

Kelly had a knack for this though, understanding side talk. The glow on her face as she smiled was so priceless. "Legion, you're growing a sense of self? Aren't you?"

"We are…?" Legion stood still as his lens spun then clipped itself like a blink. "We. We are uncertain. Yet we do require some means of interaction. A measure to remove this current runtime." Legion looked away, as he realized. "Working on the engine does not offer enough. We need more. Interaction with the Normandy Crew, may offer more."

Kelly then asks, "So you chose Mordin for this? Why?"

"That is because. Mordin Solus offered the most assistance for our desired interactions with Tali." To that, he turned with a slight shrug, "We have… few, others. To talk to."

"I think I get it." Kelly Chambers, was after all a psychiatrist. "You're not sure if everyone else can be trusted with this? Or you're rather still a little worried how everyone else sees your relationship."

"Yes." Legion took a greater interest in Kelly. "You seem to understand?"

"I'm the psychiatric member of this ship, Legion. It's my job to 'understand' the crew."

"Indeed." Legion soon took his interests from Mordin and now, he asks, "What would you suggest best for alleviating stress without the constant remembering or data intrusion of external dangers for partnered platforms?"

Oh but see now? Kelly, just looked at him with a big smile and big confused 'WTF?' appearance on her brow. "Ah, yeah. You know what? We should totally talk to Mordin on this." Legion seemed to chirp, annoyed or disappointed, but Kelly did admit, "I'll be sure to help though where I can."

The two go in together now. Finding Mordin hard at work at his console, and humming some small ditty to himself. Few got the fortune of hearing his odd musical murmurings in midst of analysis. Even with that though poor Legion was uncertain if this was a good time? Mordin usually only did his little sing-song thing during a rather intricate measure of concentrations.

"Mordin!" Obviously, Kelly did not care to hold off. Mordin shot up alarmed, as she exclaims, "I need you to help Legion!"

"Ah!" Mordin, well he frowned. "Well, I am a bit busy but if Legion needs some assistance?"

"Of course." Kelly just grabbed the scientist as he tried to save his progress. A little worked up as she dragged him off explaining, "Legion is feeling a bit off kilter with Tali on her mission. Perhaps, you can help him get his mind off things?"

Mordin soon looked at his work though and this was important. "I can not really leave my work. There is a bit of data to try and set in proper sequence." Before Kelly can try to beg for his help though. Mordin had an idea, "Though, Grunt? He may need some one to talk to."

Legion stood unaware of the reality. Kelly even admits, "He did seem somewhat disappointed not being able to go on the mission." Turning to Legion, she asks, "Do you think that's a good idea?"

Legion made a swift compilation, took into pro and con- "Yes, we do."

That was all she needed. With a smile, Kelly stepped back asking somewhat concerned though, "Well, do you want me to still come along?"

"No." Legion took a step though, and thought. "Yes."

"Oh." Well, Kelly smiled and walked off. Mordin raising a brow as he now flipped back the video footage.

Mordin tried to make best of this latest bit of data. What he is able to gather was that the batarian and Thormin were at ends. Yet, the batarian, Shift? He sounded like he was infuriated at the Thormin for his experiments. Which, so far the only other Experiments Mordin saw were based on that of the varren he contained, some time ago…?

---

The ground team rigged the mako with a ton of fuel. As well other very flammable items. As they did this, the Salarian, Fletch, had a ingenius little plan with what they had. Now with the shuttles there was no specific way to do this. Yet the Mako being the heaviest armored vehicle, with wheel based propulsion. They had what was practically a battering ram that now was filled to the brim with explosive materials. When one grenade was set at the bunker hatch, Fletch sat there ready to set off the massive explosive ram.

Fletch warned, "We only have a few moments. Let's make them count!"

The hangar opened and the tank rolled out full speed, Fletch tossing the grenade as he pushed in and locked the throttle. Fletch jumped from the top of the tank and everyone saw as it rolled straight into the amassed collection of machines.

Eventually, when it crushed into several 'Geth' the tank rolled over on itself. That caused those watching to believe the plan failed miserably. The thing none took into account was the level of combustion spatial fuel can ignite, the severity of compression of a tank and… the explosion was big.

The 'Geth' were torn apart. The tank became fragmented debris which by the explosion tore through countless other machines. As that became evident the hangar closed fast to keep some the same debris from killing those here. Fletch waited a few moments as his turret positioned fighters called him saying these 'Geth' were retreating.

"I knew it!" Fletch was full of vigor. A smile and he admits, "The monsters are beat back. Good, now we can go back and report." Looking at Uhn, Fletch asks, "You said you're with the Flotilla? Will they be sending reinforcements?"

"I doubt they shall." Uhn warned, with absolute frustration mind you, "The Flotilla will not jeopardize their safety for the unknown Quarian settlement, sir."

"Oh, I see." Fletch turned down his head, "We knew they would not admit to this being part to the Quarian action. Alright, we're on our own."

Tali however refused to accept this. The savy mechanic reminds Uhn, "Uhn, we're working with Commander Shepard. If the Flotilla will not aid us? He will."

That was true. Uhn, yet, reminds Tali, "Even if your Commander could? He can not commit his ship to saving all these people. We will need a strong ship for transport, retreat and…"

"What about the Hunley?" Tali asks making Uhn blink on her actually mentioning the ship. He heard of it recently, but not too greatly. "The Hunley is while Flotilla based now? A large enough ship for transport." She even admits, "That will be a perfect place for these people. The samples they can take to it will be good for growth. Fletch, can you take me to your commander, captain or whatever is in charge?"

Fletch looked between Uhn and Tali. A smile, he tells Tali, "I'll be happy to take you if you're trying to say, you can actually save these people?"

A certain Turian stepped forward. Garrus, after tugging his armor along the collar warned Fletch. "If Tali took anything from Shepard? It's saving lives. I mean the Commander Shepard, savior of the Citadel?"

"Wait, that's the Shepard you're talking about?" Fletch was now beginning to show a rather uncharacteristic grin for Salarian folk. "Oh wow! Zaeed? You, you work with THE Commander Shepard?"

Zaeed rubbed his neck, whispering, "Uh, yeah. It's a long story."

"Sounds good. I can't wait to hear it. Which knowing you and stories?" Fletch, walked to a security console opening it and then starting an elevator. "You'll be telling me every detail at least twice before we get the elevators to the lower levels."

"You're a damn comedian aren't you?"

It was not a long ride really. In that time, Zaeed gave a rundown of the Collector mission. Sure he skipped the boring parts like him being recruited, the Collector attack and such all after. Sticking with just the later part where he selflessly took on collector hordes as the rest of the team gave him support. Sure, that was how it went. In the end Tali smiled inwardly during the obvious self glory here. Zaeed was a fun guy to listen to. During the ride though she watched Uhn. There is something about him that was getting to her. An unease that grew the farther down the elevator took them.

Eventually they arrived. The main center perhaps? There, they saw consoles all around, smaller rooms with more devices. Tali admired the fact so much was scrap yet the people here formed what could be a strong technical relay. Even with the many Quarian and Eclipse people working together. Tali stepped forward with the others, being greeted by a Quarian that almost immediately stopped in middle of his greeting. He just, froze.

Fletch smiled at the man saying, "Gohl, you look like you've seen a ghost."

This Gohl fellow looked at Zaeed. Zaeed, raised a brow back. "Hey, do I-?"

Gohl shook his head, and said softly. "No, I'm sure not. I thought the same thing, Mr.?"

"Zaeed…" Zaeed just narrowed his eyes, as the man Gohl seemed to flinch at the name. "Massani."

"Yes." Gohl stood tall, and tugged the straps on his shoulders. He had a large backpack on his back. "Yes, I see. I think I saw you. Once. It was on… hmm, Omega?"

"Yeah?" Zaeed smiled a bit, "Worked around there a few times. Can't imagine I saw you. No, I swear. I know you. Old memories are like mazes. They twist and turn, can never truly be traveled in one time. Less you get lost in them."

Jack sighed a bit agitated, before saying, "Now's not the time to get senile."

Zaeed glared back at her but looked at Gohl again. Working on a console Zaeed shrugged it off. Then Fletch asks suddenly, "Gohl? Where is Commandant Lami?"

Gohl just shook his head before realizing this was directed at him. "Oh? She took to the medical ward. She had a serious problem to handle. We all do. Seeing we had that explosion just the other day."

Fletch shook his head screaming, "Oh, don't remind me! I almost got blown to bits, again. It's been almost clockwork!"

Leaving them. Gohl whispers to himself. "It's a miracle you've survived with that luck."

As the group pressed on toward the medical wards. Garrus had to ask, "Just what all has happened here? Explosions? Unexplained derelict ships? This place sounds exciting even with your doors being busted in."

Fletch did a slight shiver thinking back again to the explosion. "We've had a lot of crappy accidents. The faults of working with old tech so much from fallen stations. A majority wears down. We have so many consoles hanging open it's a miracle we don't get shocked to death dailiy." He however did not deny, "It is off though happening so many accidents just this often. I'm usually the security tech on duty so I've been nearly in the middle of every one of these explosions."

"So, how do you know they are accidental?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" Fletch stopped a moment, and explained, "We've had problems even regularly. The severity was usually never lethal. We were on some study of the accidents to make sure. Yet now with the Geth? That's not important."

Tali gave a slight sigh though. Again, these are not Geth. She wished they had a better name for them. Uhn noticed her actions though, and he finally asks, "Is there something wrong?"

Tali jerked from her otherwise unexpected thoughts. When it came to her, she diffused. "Oh? Just, curious." She looked up trying hard to think of something. "Er, Fletch? Can you give us any info on why the Geth… er, well." Tali now realized how hard it was not calling them this. "These, husks? The ones that look like Geth?" Wow, that was WORSE. "Why haven't they tried hacking your systems?"

Fletch stopped there and raised a finger, explaining, "They did! The fact however remains those same crappy bits of bobbles we're usings that blow up? Are so outdated the Geth aren't able to hack our systems efficiently enough. Runtime errors, what a drag."

Tali and Uhn glare to one another… Quarians, they saw what he did. Garrus had a slight chuckle. Poor Zaeed and Jack though didn't catch on, so Zaeed asks, "So you're saying they can't hack you because you guys never upgraded the old systems properly?"

"That's great." Jack seemed the one to get the biggest kick out of it now. "We should make that a bumper sticker. 'Once again procrastination saves!' I bet we'd make a cool mint."

Fletch just gave a smirk as Jack, made him almost laugh. "It's sad but true. Our systems just did not cope with the hacking attempts. Yet that does not mean they can't get in. We had them intrude previously. When they first attacked… there were casualties and a few near fatalities."

"Who got hit in the crosshairs?"

"Mostly, young kids. A few of the recent ones. There's workers from all over."

Uhn got, concerned. "Were there just Eclipse? Or did any Quarians get injured?"

"Yeah, a few of both." Looking back Fletch opened the doors and showed them now who all had been hurt. In the sight of this, Uhn stepped forward taking a deep breath. It was as if he took it personal seeing so many in the emergency room. Especially among the young Quarians.

Fletch looked towards a woman, a female Quarian. This was their commandant. "Lami!" Lami, was in a environmental suit but this one was yellow, and had white along with some red. As she came closer. Lami bowed to those gathered. "Lami, these are the people sent from the Flotilla. Things are bad, huh?"

"Yes, they are." Lami sounded much older than most. In fact, she had to be on in her years. "We've lost a lot of good people. Tell me, what news do you bring?"

Tali looked to Uhn, asking, "Uhn, what can you tell her?" Yet, he did not respond. Looking at the wounded. Tali turned to match his eyes towards a young Quarian man laying on a bed. As she glared then to Uhn Tali demands, "Uhn'Gehncis!"

"What?" Uhn just not prepared for that. He said, sharply. "I will. Of course! I just…" Uhn sighed before looking back at the wounded. "It's so hard to see good futures on the edge of madness like this. You do anything to… protect them."

Tali looked down then added, "It's not going to stop what we are here for."

"I know. The ship… but first thing is first." Uhn, bowed his head then. A moment, he took his nerve before asking, "Do you know why we are here Lami?"

Lami seemed to know full well. In fact, she crossed her arms saying. "You're here for the data we have gathered on the Geth I assume?"

This is where Tali narrowed her eyes. Already, hearing Garrus remark, "I knew something was up from the moment we started this."

---

There Legion was in the port cargo hold. Grunt, walking back and forth as Legion agreed to come and work with him on something. That something however was not what Legion would have expected. Grunt held up the next data pad and told Legion, "This female, she has strong back bones and a powerful leg squat. If that's what she can offer? She might provide me with… what level of offspring?"

Legion turned his head down, in thought. "We assume? That if Krogan. Then this will be a 54% improvement from…"

"Bah! Not good enough. I am true Krogan. Who else is next?" Legion slowly turned his head and began a swift consensus on what trying to leave will cause. Grunt however saw and warned, "Don't even think about it. It's the first time I had someone here to help me skim out these breeding requests from Tuchanka. I'm taking this for all it's worth."

Legion just looked back to Grunt as he listed off some more females, their attributes and whatever else.

Grunt looked up from his pad though and suddenly it clicked. "Hmm. You're worried about the battle mistress aren't you?"

Legion seemed a bit taken, head shooting back and forth. "We are not fully concerned. She can do well on her own."

"Yeah," Grunt, smiled as he looked around, grabbing a crate he shifts it out of the corner and into the center of the floor. Then he got a second one, the same but closer to where he'd been standing last. Grunt sat down giving a loud, heavy well, grunt. Legion took that as a sign he too should sit and so the two talk. "Then you think about that time on Haelstrom? Where she lost her whole team?"

"This was a long time ago. We are certain her skills have improved since then."

"Of course." Grunt however told Legion. "Yet it is wise to remember your failings. If the mistress does not? She will fail."

"Tali shall not fail."

"I hope you're right." Grunt had a laugh, but then he narrowed his eyes down. "Legion, I'm… curious, about something. A little agitated maybe?"

"What is your request?"

Grunt seemed to rub his neck. Yeah, "Well, the mistress chose you. Even with all that's happened. Why? Why do you two, work? Or even, not work? I mean, what's the reason? What's the attraction? Why do you two even have this… thing?"

Legion sat there with his brow furled up, confused. His lens, spinning as he analyzed the full level of confusion. Grunt had asked probably because of his prospective mates. It led him to this thought, in some way. Legion looked down then, as he contemplates it all. "We do not know?"

Grunt had to laugh at that. "Yeah. I figured."

"You did? Then why ask us?"

"Well, because. I can! I am Krogan." Grunt however seemed to be otherwise observant of his pads with data on another prospective, yet he didn't seem too pleased by this one. So he asks, "What made you take interest in the Quarian? You didn't choose her for genes to ensure a strong offspring."

Legion looked at Grunt for a time. It was then he came to a realization. "Urdnot Grunt?" Grunt turned up with a look of confusion. "Are you having trouble reaching a consensus?"

Grunt acted insulted at first. A snort, then rise off his legs the Krogan stood there warning Legion, "I am a pure Krogan. My line is from that of countless warlords. I am one to be in awe from!"

"Yes." Legion stood too, and this time asks just the same. "Are you having trouble reaching a consensus?"

That made Grunt's brow curl a bit back. "Hmm. I am…"

Legion stepped beside Grunt, and shook his head as he scanned the pads with a glance. "We can not offer you assistance this way. The bond with Tali has been slow, repetitive in both change and constant alterations." Then he came to the realization. "We have met our consensus through trial and error. Mostly error."

Grunt did not understand. "So it was not genetics or the need to pass them. You are a machine that is obvious. Yet, what made you seek a mate? Then?"

"We, did not seek?" Legion lowered his head, and gestured as he saw Shepard do. Grabbing his visual lens and realize just how out of place he was. "We, we did not seek her. We did not seek her at first. It was in time. The feeling was irregular."

"Yeah? I can't wait for, a 'irregular' feeling!" Grunt even quotes with his fingers, to emphasis it. He then explained, "I am expected to be the pinnacle of Krogan. A mate is needed. If I do not find one, I will be unable to breed my own. If I do not breed, I will not pass on my genes. Don't stand here and try to explain to me feelings. We Krogan don't need feelings."

"Understood." Legion, seemed to access while Grunt wanted the data. He was unwilling to accept it. There is so much organic life complexes the simplest of things. Though, what really can Legion tell Grunt on this subject? All Legion knew was what it meant to have Tali in his life, and that's only for the short time it's proved to be acceptable. Which again rises a number of issues since in a few ways what does Legion make of his efforts with Tali?

Even so, Legion wanted to give Grunt some data he can use. "Urdnot Grunt?" As Grunt looked back from another pad. Legion tried to compile a good enough packet for share. "When this matter with Tali altered our general patterns. It alarmed us. It also concerned us that it might become a danger, to Normandy or ourselves. Or to Creator Tali. However, there has been positive alterations that never had this platform known possible."

Grunt just looked down… but, turned up as he lowered his pad. "Like what?"

"We have attained a wider perception of organics, of partnership and understanding for the emotional strength other organics have. Humans, have a high arrange of emotions." Legion, gave a slow but eventual spin of his lens. "The fact Shepard-Commander can act in the manner he does. It is a testament that emotions can offer a form of, strength. As well benefit. Yet have a weakness. It is in this, that overcoming those weaknesses has allowed this platform and it's programs to meet a greater consensus within our full collective."

Grunt just looked at Legion a moment when he tried to make it all in his head, meet together. A hard thing for a Krogan.

Eventually, Grunt asks, "So, you mean that being 'emotional' has made you stronger?"

"Yes." Legion offered, a slight example. "When we have found a difficult measure. Tali, offers us a sense of safe collaboration."

Grunt, didn't get that though. "Wait, so she is safe for you? How does that make you stronger?"

"She." Legion is quiet a moment. It is all so hard to talk over. Grunt, was far too… difficult. Yet it clicked fast, and strong. "She offers us strength we can not find alone. That is the best offering of data we can offer. It is not about our need to breed, or procreate. We are… together. It is important to us."

That was funny. Yet, Grunt had to take it in. "A strength from a woman. Huh, that is not far from what we Krogan knew… a long time ago." He stood up and turned looking out toward the docking bay. "I see images of a world. Tuchanka. It was so different. A lot stronger. The females were more powerful then." Grunt seemed to narrow his eyes, then he shrugged it off. "Perhaps, that's what they did? Gave some men more strength. Shiagur, she was something like that." Grunt seemed to now wonder about that. "If I am to be true Krogan. Then, should I seek a mate not for our genetic importance. Hmph, strength. True strength." Grunt looked back over his shoulder, asking Legion, "What can I do to find this strength, and don't you bring up that feeling crap, alright?"

Legion seemed to tilt his head. "No data available?"

"Hmph." Grunt just gave a snort, crossed his arms looking out at the work on the cargo. "Figures…"

A moment passes though. Grunt says to Legion, "Thanks. You gave me something to think about, which I hate. Yet, I need to think more about these things. Important things. My people. The Krogan. We need to think about those things more." At that he looked back asking, "Have you talked to Thane?"

Legion was not sure why Grunt asks this. "No. Is there a reason we should?"

"Thane was with a partner before, right? I mean, I remember it some where. Something." A shrug, Grunt waved it off. "Nevermind. I doubt it's that important. Anyway, you might as well go do whatever. I think I might just stand here and do nothing. Other than think." To which, Grunt reached up scratching his crest whispering, "My scales are starting to itch already."

While this might have been a mixed blessing. Legion left Grunt to contemplate that last bit of data. Thane did have a partner once. Also, Legion has never made an effort to speak with Thane prior. This could be of benefit? Legion soon took to the elevator and started to set his course to find Thane. Though, in the elevator he wondered. Just what Tali must be up to? He hoped her mission reaches success swiftly.

---

The fact things only got worse for Tali had to be on her last nerve. Right now, she had Garrus trying to keep his mouth shut. Zaeed was not worried a mercenary he just followed the money. Jack seemed to yawn and lounge in the backdrop. Tali was the one here, listening more intent with each passing moment.

The facilities were as originaly said a measure of cultivation. Through the help of the ice flow they grew cultivations of plants, fresh water and means of survival for the Flotilla. All that this was however served as a cover. The facility was close to the Perseus Veil, you see. It is here that the facility worked outside the Flotilla softly scrambling and pinging the Geth transmitters. At times trying to hack less vital installations and learn what they can from Geth communications. The fact these Quarians were not considered a full part of the Flotilla was one thing, it would not invoke the supposed wrath of the Council should they be found out. The other was how the secret location was rather hard to find less you knew where to look. The hopes were this data could help their people in the solid goal of all the Flotilla.

Tali listened to Lami explain their work, in detail. As well how they have learned a great deal about the Geth and their communications. Through research here they hoped to offer intricate measures of infiltrating Geth communications through ships. It's not fully developed. Yet the labs of this station did have extensive files on the Geth. As well the communications they have hacked.

Lami while a rather wise woman, admits to one thing. "We assumed these attacks were related to that research. Yet, I have a feeling it's not. There seems to be no reason for the attacks to be linked by the data. Seeing, we have been under attack this long and not once was a push on the labs. It's on the main facility."

Uhn soon told Lami. "This we believe might be related to a 'survivor' you found on a ship recently. The same eclipse ship that intercepted it was scrapped not far from here." Uhn, motioned back as Fletch seemed to head out, maybe to check this out. "He'll most likely find there's no communications to the ship since. If he can even get out? I think you know the facility has been locked out?"

Lami lowered her head and sighed, deeply. "Yes, I know. Sadly." She shook her head then whispering, "So much chaos. Damn it. I wish we'd never found that varren."

Tali just tilts her head. "Varren? You mean, the survivor was a Varren?"

"Yes, it was." Lami explains, "Yet a very intelligent one. The beast seems to react very swiftly to commands. Though most times it just growls in response. It shows a level of understanding not common to the breed. We assumed it might have been a pet. Though, if you say this whole matter is somehow related?" Now, Lami sighed thinking back. "It was quite odd the team that found it. They said that the ship was piloted manually. Yet the only thing on it was the beast. It's not likely it piloted itself… is it?"

Garrus just had to ask. "Tali? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Tali's response was a slow nod, and soft asking under her breath, "Can it be the same Varren? Again?"

Lami noticed this and she has to ask, "Am I missing something?"

"No." Tali looked back shaking her head, "Uh, not that we know of. Yet. We should probably take a look at this Varren of yours?"

The two look to one another. Tali, narrows her eyes as Garrus sighs rolling his eyes. This isn't looking good. Not at all. Garrus just recalls how strange the whole matter was seeing it on that facility, strangely right before meeting that batarian called Shift.

Lami notices the reaction Garrus has and asks, "Is there something the matter?"

"Just a funny hand at fate, is all." Tali smiled inwardly. This should prove very interesting indeed. Yet she saw Uhn looking at the sick and wounded. Again, he looked too distant. "We should probably try and get ourselves integrated with the defense, Uhn? What do you believe?" She was curious if he was that lost in his thoughts?

Uhn was. He didn't respond. So Tali asks, "Uhn?" It was polite, but as he ignored. "UHN!" The infiltrator turned back and she glared, violently. "Uhn, you can stay here and try to check on the wounded. Garrus and I will look into this survivor." Turning to Zaeed and Jack, Tali asks, "Can you two perhaps head back to the central hub and get acquainted with their communications? We might need to contact the Normandy immediately, to get the Hunley for extraction."

Lami sighed though and asks, "Tali? Was it?" Tali turned back as she was just starting to walk out. "Can you perhaps stay a little longer?" Lami came over, and she looked to Uhn whom started looking over the injured logs. "Your colleague seems a bit distracted. I know this sounds strange but I just think you should perhaps talk to him?"

Tali raised a brow to this at first. Why should she? Uhn was basically only here to babysit her. Tali then realized that's a rather narrow way of looking at it. She had to admit, he was acting strange since they got here. Perhaps, this is a good time to find out why? "Garrus, go with Zaeed and Jack, help them. I'll meet you at the main hub and we'll see about this varren together."

Garrus gave a nod as he left, warning, "Don't use your shotgun. Rely on your words Tali."

"Tempting it is? I'll fight the urge." Oh, and at times. She had to admit it's tempting.

Tali came to Uhn seeing him looking over a data pad of one patient in the center of the others. That got her attentin as it is. Why did he skip the other patients to read this one? Also, he seemed almost captivated with each report reading the minor detail of any kind. Uhn scrolled the data even unaware Tali was beside him.

When Tali looked at the young man in the bed. She came to a rather unexpected conclusion. Though, she wasn't going to say it. Instead, Tali comments, "He looks young. Probably still on pilgrimage."

"Yes. He only started recently. A few weeks, at best."

Tali turned asking, "So, you knew that because…?"

"It's in the, uh." Gehncis shook the pad, to clarify, "His report. The boy's report states he arrived on pilgrimage. Makes sense only a few weeks does it not?"

"Maybe." Tali noticed him setting the pad down eyes glaring towards her. She had a feeling she knew what's happening. So as he walked off to look like he's on another data screen. The machines on that boy start beeping as if the boy flatlined.

Uhn turned screaming, "Kahl!"

"Kahl?" Tali, holding the sensory device that allowed the machine to monitor the boy, now reads, "His name here is Hoass… so, unless you really have trouble reading?" Tali, plugged back in the machine before setting the pad down, and glaring up at Uhn who glared back at her. "Or, you knew this boy before he came here, and why he's working under an unfamiliar name?"

Uhn just had to glare with more vigor, but Tali didn't back down. The eventual realization sat in and he sighed deeply. "That's my son."

"Your son?"

Uhn gave a nod, asking, "Do you not remember? I mentioned. I lost my eldest son and wife to Geth a long time ago." Turning, he leaned on the wall to where he closed his eyes, whispering, "I remember the day I was in the docking port. My son was resting in a civilian frigate. Being part of the Civilian Fleet I don't report to military officials, less on mission. Then we docked for refueling, and someone sent me the news. My wife and son were attacked in the Haxhi Nexus."

Tali raised a brow. "Haxhi? That's not near the Perseus area, or most Geth patrolled regions."

"Yes. I know." He looked down, somewhat ashamed. "The attack was debilitating. I had to go and find out what happened. After hours of searching we found the ship. My family was gone. All but my last son."

Tali looked over to the wounded young quarian. A heavy sigh, she held her elbow slowly shifting back on her heels. It made her wonder? What if she'd been under this situation on her pilgrimage? Would her father… no, he would not. Her father was an admiral and worse yet, she had been. Her father was bound to honor and duty, and the ideals he set into motion for her 'future' one day.

Uhn looked at his son. A heavy voice was replacing the former one that while had weight was never so weighed until now. "He's all I have left. I had to come here. To find out if he is still alive."

Tali saw that look, in the man's stance. The relaxation in seeing his son alive. As well, the firm resolve to keep it that way. "So you requested the mission for this reason? Your son?"

Uhn just looked toward Tali with the obvious, 'of course' glare, before telling her. "I know the mission is important. The geth Data and all it entails could be priceless to our Flotilla. I just can not let my last remaining child perish on this planet. He deserves better." Looking over, he just whispers, "We deserve the time to see Rannoch."

"I see." Tali looked at the boy. Then to Uhn. This explained his actions, the trepidation. "Uhn?" As Uhn looked to Tali, she stood tall and gave him a nod, her hand on her tailbone with authority. "I'm giving you a direct order. Watch over these wounded, each one of them." Uhn looked confused but Tali explained, "Some maybe more importantly than others? Even so, the mission isn't just getting this data. It's ensuring our people survive to see our homeworld, is it not?"

Looking at her with perhaps a bit of mirth. Uhn stood up tall saying, "You're right about that. Keelah, I can't wait to… begin, checking the rest of the crew, here."

"Of course. If you can, try to make sure everything is good for them." She then said with a motion to the doors. "Garrus and myself will do our own work, if something goes wrong? Talk to Jack and Zaeed on the main consoles at the station's central hub."

Uhn looked around though and then he said, "I'm not really a medical person."

"You never know. We can never tell just what kind of trouble could be here Uhn. Keep them safe."

Uhn lowered his head but, said proudly. "I will do whatever it takes."

"Keelah se'lai, Uhn'Gehncis vas Rannoch."

"Aye, you too. Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch."

Tali sighed as she left. So… strange, even as she looked back seeing Uhn hang his head holding the post beside his son's head. There is something about this that made her remember her father. Last words they share. Tali closed her eyes now as she let the door close behind her and stand just thinking how he gave her his last orders. To make sure that everything was 'settled' for the Flotilla.

If she had a father like this Uhn. Coming here, just on a prayer? That his child be alive. This made her sigh hard before rubbing a shoulder and walking forward toward the main hub. There, she bumped into a Quarian. "Oh! Sorry," She watched the tall quarian walking past her, shuffling almost. "I said sorry…?"

The quarian turned, head slowly and body stiffly. "Yes. You are." The quarian looked at her with the dullest spark in his eyes. "We are. Ah. Yes. Going now."

Tali narrowed her eyes. What? She shook her head going toward the main hub. The shuffling quarian moving along before turning again and slowly the figure tilts it's head sideways. The shuffling quarian continued moving then toward the next hall looking and reading every room it passed.

---

Tali came into the main hub after a short traversing in the halls. It's not far from the medical ward to here. Even so, she was plenty concerned of how far it would be to evacuate these people. If something happened. When she showed up Garrus looked over from the central hub. "Tali? Why didn't you answer me?"

Tali was confused, "What are you talking about?"

"I hailed you with your omni-tool but you never…"

At this, Gohl the strange quarian wearing a heavy back pack just warned them, "You can't communicate with direct omni-tool communications in this facility." Looking up as he worked, this got everyone's attention. "The excessive energy from our constant use of machinery often causes a troubling communication problem. You'll need to rely on the 'buoy' system."

Tali shifts her weight, asking, "Are you serious? The buoy system? That's one of the worst backup systems we have."

Garrus looked at Tali confused. Hell, Jack and Zaeed do too. "Wait, what's a buoy system?"

Tali sighed though. As she looked around and sure enough saw it. Walking over she tells Garrus, "It's a low-grade communications relay system. We call it a 'buoy' system because it's generally like nav-point hook up. Yet you project your connection from point to point. It causes a lag at times, yet should get your message across even with constant blockage through electronics, thick ship plate and so forth." Tali linked her tool and sure enough, she saw the setting. "Keelah, this is going to be a pain."

Gohl just shrugged, "That's the best we have. Considering how large this place is? You should be happy we have that."

"Wait, how big is this place then?"

Garrus looked over to Tali and he just says, "And, that was why I was trying to call you. Tali, this facility is huge. We just got the rundown and it's not what any of us were expecting."

Tali soon saw what they meant. The projection was first the room they were in, yet it zooms out. Showing what looked to be three full space stations otherwise formed into one. That, made poor Tali just hold her head and whisper, "That's what I needed isn't it? Wasn't bad enough it's a space station under ice. No, it's three."

Around this time Gohl pokes his head around the consoles, explaining, "We've used multiple stations to accommodate this facility. To be technical, we've used more around the likelihood of twelve stations to create this three-station construction." Gohl then taps on the consoles to show how the main hub gave direction to several other areas. In general, the place they were served to lead to the other areas. "We've centered everything with this central hub. Though, it has complications."

The Salarian officer then walked in. Everyone looked as he was working with his omni-tool. Yet when he saw them he just asks, "Tali? You're the team leader right?"

Tali slowly looked down. Was she really? At times, it reminds her of Halestrom. Yet as she looked to her omni-tool seeing those programs from Legion? She suddenly realized she's here, and she had others behind her. People that trusted her and in turn needed her to stay the course. Right.

"Yes, I am." Tali stepped up, as Fletch was logging into the map's specifics. "Has something happened?"

"Something?" Fletch actually gave a snort of self frustration. "You could say that." What he shows her was the glowing field in a large section below. As the stations went down in many stairwell and even special corridors. That's the somewhat largest area in the facility. "These areas consist of our main conduction area. Think of all the resources we mine here, grow and on some occurance water supplies that are tenatively steamed from the mining. Most of that is in this area along with the science labs, then we also have our 'junkyard' around this point."

Zaeed pops a brow though, "You guys have a junk yard?"

Tali just told him though, "Quarians make a good habit of stashing materials. Should be more refered to as a storage area for parts."

Zaeed, he just smirked a bit. "Right, a junk yard."

Fletch smiled knowing Zaeed for what it is. That's fine. "The other areas you're looking at are the medical area here, which Tali left. We also have that area shifted for our majority of residential housing. A collection of makeshift rooms for Eclipse and Quarian needs." Fletch shows this area, leading out of the main area they were in but it seemed to kind of span outward to the side, like this giant patching of areas, most shaped in prism shaped quadrants. Probably a Volus habit or design. Next, Fletch motioned to a region that went far from this area, and straight towards the higher places. "There is our communications tower." Fletch, looked to Tali now with concern. "We usually can communicate wideband with outward flotilla ships. However, there is something causing substantial harm to all transmissions. It might be the Geth?"

Tali looked at the schematics realizing what this means. "We have to contact the Normandy. We noticed that same problem earlier. I think?" She looked to Garrus, asking, "Do you think the Normandy will be in orbit close?"

"Shepard won't be likely to leave the orbit Tali. I'd bet he'll be hanging on for a while just in case."

"Right." Tali smiled inwardly. "In case he needs to save the day." What she looked at though was all the entire facility has to give them. "How does this place function with so many things going on?"

Fletch now grabbed his chin and looked worried. "Well, it works as it has to. We're working on a frozen planet namely water and ice. The mining usually relies on high powered lasers to melt ice. The ice water is collected, sanitized and offered through our facility. Some will be taken in for the Flotilla and other samples can usually be held here or sent to Eclipse. That's what we do to expand. Functionality of each area usually relies on the station reactors or…"

Tali just lowered her arms like that last set of words had literally hit her. "Wait? Station reactors?"

Garrus even just took a twitch of his mandibles, asking, "You mean, plural? As in more than one?"

Fletch just sighed now knowing what it sounds like. He waved his hands, warning, "That's not as bad as it sounds. We have five reactors at the base of the primary station. We routed power connections and supply through a countless number of back-pedal circuits. If a power overage kicks in? We have the system automatically shut down the entire station. Nothing can supercede that."

As there is a conversation. Tali looked at the projection thinking hard over everything. If the Volus knew what happened here? Her people will see some horrible repercussions. Yet there are many lives on this station and they needed to save them. The Hunley can evacuate, with the station's ships and… there must be more. The data, these people and the livelihood of her people all weighed in her head. The thought of Haestrom drags along to every face and voice in her memories. Though as that faded, her father came to her in memory of how he died. The thought gave her a head ache. Yet as she leaned on a set of panels the odd beeping gave her a funny realization. After all this idiocy there is a good thing to go back to. A oddly beepy, mechanized something that really formed some thought in her head.

Tali can recall the longest time her admiration of Shepard. Tali can not figure out though why a machine could find something so out of place as emotion worth while emulating. Tali's head lowered again before she tried to think about that. If a machine, a Geth can find that much to hope from organics? Why can't she try and make sense of this madness? The facility was going to be just like Haestrom. Unless, she can look past it and her father. Looking at Zaeed, Jack and Garrus? Tali can not let that happen to them. No more loosing her friends. This is her chance to be a leader. Like Shepard, she needed to form a plan. Yet she had to do it not for Shepard, but for herself and for the stupid bosh'tet she's hoping to see after all this.

"Garrus." Garrus looked back as Tali stepped over to him, pointing up even to garner his full attention. "You're going with me." Next Garrus knew, Tali turned pressing her finger in his face. "Fletch, you have to tell us how to get to that survivor and then, to the comm tower."

Fletch seemed to understand. He admits, "We honestly have few here who can repair it. Myself and Gohl could, but it would take someone sending the schematics to a team otherwise. We'll have to see the full damage honestly? Perhaps Lami could she has dabbled in the repairs."

Tali seemed to nod saying, "Good. That settles it, you're coming with us."

Zaeed looked a bit irritated so he asks, shifting his gun up his shoulder. "Wait? What's that leave me and Jack?"

"Protection." Tali turned back with such a twist that Zaeed tilts his head, she looked to be almost warning him to not try and argue. "You're going to stay here to ensure everyone is safe. As well organize the retreat however you can. I'm counting on you both to get ahold of the science teams through communications. Gohl?"

Gohl looked to be working on something, but Tali snapped sharply, "Gohl!" The quarian mechanic looked up slowly before she glared at him. Which, Gohl just gave a slow nod. "Can you contact the science team?"

"Yes. Though, you will need to have buoy communications open, and the more between here and your location will enhance the signal reception. Though it will also enhance your time delay, a few minutes between messages."

Tali seemed to know that. She lowered her eyes for now, looking at the floor and thinking. Garrus asks her, "So your plan is to just get everyone out, with the data and the help of the Normandy?"

Tali then turned up telling him rather bluntly, "Part of it yes. The hard part will be trying to set the reactors to critical mass and leaving before the Volus know we were here."

As she turned to set her omni-tool though Fletch screamed, "You can't do that! There are people's livelihoods here! If you do, then they will loose everything!"

Tali looked down sad but taking a breath. She turned back whispering, "I know. It hurts to think what you'll be loosing. Yet the Flotilla will loose much more if this place is discovered." Tali, gave a nod as she shifts her hand, explaining, "This place has served as a study ground against the Geth. We, are not supposed to cause any direct confrontation with the Geth. So far those things outside are not the real thing, but suppose they use what you learned on the Geth? Or, the Volus use it in political back dealings? We're not going to ignore that threat." As Fletch glared her down though, she stood up on her toes, warning him, "I'm giving you a direct order Fletch to fall in line and get behind me. We're getting these people out of here. This station, can not be left behind when we leave."

At first the salarian seemed to grow angrier by the moment. Yet Tali stuck her ground. When he finally shied his eyes even Zaeed thought it unexpected. So, Fletch just warned, "When we over stress the reactors they will explode but the explosion won't be the worst part. The temerature might case the facility to begin breaking and melting, there is no promise it will take the station with it."

Tali looked a little concerned. Surely, that can be remedied? She thought but, well… "We will deal with that when the time comes. Fletch?"

Fletch saw Tali offer her hand. A look at it and he smiled, shaking it. "Alright." Fletch, stood there giving a pretty shocking sigh. "I have to admit. I had my doubts but, perhaps they were right sending a team from the Alliance."

When Fletch walked off, Tali asks, "Alliance?"

Garrus saw Zaeed rub his neck, while Jack warned, "Some one here thought it might work smoother if they thought we're all support from the Alliance. Rather than some other less noteworthy groups."

Tali smiled at this whole fact, a nod and she softly praised the mercenary, "Here I thought I was on my own. Thanks Zaeed, it's appreciated."

"Yeah. Well." Zaeed, coughed before crossing his arms and lazily laying on a support. "Just, let's get this done. Sounds like we're not doing any shooting."

While Tali was happy with that idea? Garrus, just warned, "While it looks that way? Never let your guard down. There could be more shooting than you want." He looked at Tali, warning, "Threatening to blow up their home? You know, a revolt can come from that?"

Tali just sighed before she warns, "We can't hide from the truth Garrus. My people no less than any others. This is beyond one station. We need to save the lives here, and what we can elsewhere."

"Which sounds a lot like Shepard."

"Yeah." Tali shook her head, to see Fletch coming. "You ready?"

Fletch gave a nod as he walked to the security console. Opening the door, he calls, "Gohl?" The mechanic looked up as he smiled. "Keep everyone safe."

"Of course." Gohl seemed to nod with some level of deadpan seriousness. "Try not to get yourself blown to pieces."

"Oh I doubt my luck can keep going that badly." Closing the doors. Fletch walked with Tali and Garrus. Sure enough, at the end of the hall they saw a large rounded device in the wall. Fletch scanned it, and said, "Put your tools into that hub."

As Tali and Garrus do. Garrus took a moment following with Tali, to whisper, "Tali?" She turned and he just smiled saying, "I'm proud of you back there."

"Yeah." She smiled, whispering, "Can't be sure how much was me and what was Shepard."

In the main hub. Zaeed walked to a corner and eyed that Gohl guy again. What was it? Zaeed rubbed his chin before Jack flopped beside him heaving a heavy sigh. "So, feel like fooling around or…?" She then noticed he was not paying her any mind. "Zaeed?" Jack, as she's ignored three times just swats him. "Zaeed?"

Zaeed blinked aware of the strike. Then he asks, "Jack?"

"You okay?" Jack watched Zaeed looking at Gohl again. "You've been kind of edgy since we got here."

"Yeah it's just that." Zaeed, looked closely at the quarian Gohl. "I keep getting a funny feeling. Like something about that guy is off?"

Zaeed was being paranoid. Least, that's what Jack thought. So she asks, "Getting senile? Or just paranoid?"

"Bah!" Zaeed shook his head, and she laughed. Jack started to wander around aimlessly. Zaeed though sighed looking at the mechanic work. While he did. The mechanic slowly rolled his eyes over his shoulder toward Zaeed. As though he too, felt something towards the gritty mercenary.

---

On the Normandy. In the main hall. Legion was making his way toward the Life Support area of the ship; the one place in this ship that was commonly housed by their Drell. However, Legion halted as he heard a heavy, exasperated growl or grunt. What Legion noted was operative Miranda Lawson and she was now working in the central lunch area. Which was not common. Legion peeked his lens over her data pad to note it was the dossier of Tali. This, Legion swiftly took interest in.

At that time he also noticed Jacob Taylor eating in front of her. When she gave another sound, he set his fork down asking, "Okay? So. What happened? Something serious?"

Miranda looked over shaking her head. A frown and she asks, "How would you act if you had skills more than qualifying you for a mission. Yet being dismissed for one reason. You work as a member of Cerberus."

Jacob gave a nod, asking, "You're holding that against Tali?"

"No." Miranda looked at him confused. Yet, she set the data pad down saying, "No. I'm worried. What if she can't cut it? She had that trouble on Haestrom. Also, she never really showed a strong leading attribute before. I'm worried for the sake of the mission Jacob."

Jacob raised his brow though, and leaned back crossing his arm. Miranda then did the same. The problem was, Jacob was not convinced. So Miranda closed her eyes saying softly, "I just. I'm worried she might get hurt. Not being there because I'm Cerberus? That irks my nerve Jacob."

"Yeah. I get that. Like how it probably works a AI for not being allowed there because they were part of a race of machines that wiped the Quarians out almost."

Miranda smiled though, saying, "I doubt we can say that is the same thing."

Legion though asked, causing Miranda to turn shocked to the Geth, "Why?" After that Miranda shot her head glaring to Jacob who was smiling as he took his plate to get it washed. "Is it for the fact we are inorganic?"

Miranda closed her eyes to sigh and whisper, "This is not what I had in mind." Still, she looked up and then motioned Legion to sit, and he did not. So she assumed he was not 'pleased' by her words. Or he just did not wish to waste the time? It made her realize how in his shoes she'd be the same way. For either reason. A sad realization then being how close to a machine she can be. Especially given her history.

"Then what did Operative-Lawson have in mind?"

Miranda soon gave a a slight heavy handed moan from annoyance. Grasping her forehead she came to the knowing sense she's not getting out of this easily. "Come on, sit down."

"If you insist."

Legion sat down. Miranda then tried to gather her strong appearance. Hands now on the table the woman cerberus official started to grow a bit distant. Her look was mostly the part of her that drew away. Miranda then said with a slight smile, "Legion. What I'm trying to cope with is the fact after all that this group has done? We're not allowed to help. You know Cerberus has a rather checkered past?"

"Yes." Legion, then mimicked her. Well, he set his hands on the table and looked to her with the strange mechanical stare. Poor Miranda twitched at the left brow, noticing how he mimicked her stance. "The same is for the Geth. While Heretics are the only ones to act out directly on organic life beside the Mourning War. The Geth are labeled with great negativity. Humans see Geth as a dangerous construct. Especially after Eden Prime. Though in the eyes of the human race, Cerberus can be justified especially for helping with the Collectors." Legion, lowered his lens though, clasping his hands. Miranda can recognize that as slightly frustrated. Or. Well, she might be looking too much. "Though we helped with the Collectors. The Geth do not earn any positive recogntion by any parties. We are still labeled as the same as Heretics."

Miranda soon closed her eyes, nodding. This is going to not work. "We don't really have that much common ground do we?"

"No. Both Cerberus and Geth may be listed in negative light. However, we can not be made similar."

Miranda thus made a pretty obvious similarity. "Then I guess we should look at ourselves as individuals from those groups shouldn't we? How we fair as singular people, er. I mean, platforms." Miranda smiled now as Legion's lens spun. "We have the same frustration though different reasons again. So okay. Legion, you want to help Tali because of your reasons. I want to for my own. There is no real difference then if we have the same goals but different reasons, right?"

Legion slowly tilts his head… and, when his brow cocked up suddenly? Miranda blinked curiously towards him. Eventually, Legion just twitched his brow which made Miranda smirk a little. This is impossibly unusual.

"Correct."

Legion now seemed to admit they have the same consensus though upon unfamilar goals. So, Miranda, laid out her hands flat and this time she says, "Good. So now we have that ground. Okay." Oh but now she whispers, "Wait, what were we originally trying to discuss anyhow?"

"The original data being ascertained for debate related to the differences between our two measures of consensus. Why did Operative-Lawson believe her concern within Cerberus not being allowed to act with this mission, was different than what it is for us, withing the Geth?"

Oh now Miranda blushed for probably the first in a long time, as her eyes shot to the side and a low, hanging, "Ahhh-hah." Followed her scratching her head. This met her to the realization she really had no other reason to separate this than one thing. That being, him a machine and her not. Though eventually she realized there IS another reason, even if it's not what she was thinking. Then why DID she even try to argue this? Miranda thought about it. She most likely did not want to look too much like a stuck up brat. She got that a lot. Ice queen some could say. Others, like Jack would use more colorful words.

Mirandra then tried to say. "Legion. The difference isn't so much our platforms as our positions. You and Tali have a deeper sort of friendship. While I simply feel the need to ensure the mission procures success. For me, the lack of ability to act makes it frustrating on a more superficial level."

Legion seemed to take in this and soon, he asks, "Do you not have any direct feeling of concern for Tali?"

"Of course I do. She's a valued member of the team."

"As a person?"

Miranda looked at him with a strange, cold sneer. "Of course!"

"Why?" To that, Legion saw her eyes shoot from him, and scanning her thoughts. Legion seemed to slowly look down before asking, lowly, "Do you have this much trouble reaching consensus because of your work with cerberus? Since she is not human?"

"What?" Miranda, scoffed though saying. "That's not the case Legion. I'm not a racist." This, she glanced straight it him, pointing towards the machine. "My emotions are just more refined than that of others. I don't simply go out of my way to worry over others. My concerns are the mission, our mission. To ensure humanity survives."

With this. She slowly looked to her hand pointing at Legion and softly pressing her hand on the table. There was a silence now as Legion himself noticed her eyes batting away at the tabletop. Was it really that easy for her? Can Miranda truly believe that it doesn't really matter? That in the end, her emotions were not what she cared of. In a part of her mind Miranda argued it's because Tali was a team member, but not a friend. Hell, she rarely talked to her. Even when Tali and Shepard were going close together Miranda disliked it, not so much for the sake of Shepard or Tali, but her own. Which made her question just what did it matter? Shepard and her? Miranda, glanced around again, as she felt an ungodly sense of disgust of herself. This made her question what kind of person was she? Did she have any shred of humanity in her, from the damned life she escaped? Killing the only friend she knew from that old life. Saving her sister. What was it for? Was it for her sister? Or, was it for… for…?

Suddenly, Miranda's mind stopped as a cold hand held hers. Seeing Legion squeeze her hand, Miranda looked up in a light breath. Soon, Legion said, "Operative Lawson? Do you find feeling difficult?"

This is where she grew ridgid. Suddenly aware what he was coming to term with. "Legion. That's not really a matter of discussion. Weren't we trying to talk about that mission? Tali, and you and the whole…?"

"Yes, but what we have noticed. You act very much like The Geth."

"…" Miranda is silent, as she stares at him a moment. Legion seeming to recoil as her stare grew aggitated toward her brow. "Explain to me why you think that?"

Legion just fidgets in place. "We, we did not mean to insult you. It was an observation. Your actions are not denoted towards an emotional response. It is mechanical. You act very commonly on consensus, reaction and what we saw so far that has benefiteed you before." Legion then said, however, "However, with commander Shepard? You saved your sister. While not killing a person you deemed dangerous. It was not of your code. This, we have been trying to confirm within ourselves."

Miranda soon frowned at him deeper. "So you mean because I don't let my emotions hinder me? I'm a lot like you?"

"No." Legion then, said. With a flick of his lens and brow. "Yes. No. It is complicated." Legion explains, roughly. "We also have noticed your actions. There is more to you than the natural evolution of your person. We wanted to understand, you are genetically engineered as a perfect human. You acted as you would until intervention of Shepard-Commander."

Miranda just looked away, again. One reason she kind of liked Shepard. He was a rather strong man able to see the 'good' in things. A smile, Miranda told Legion. "I did actually want to kill Niket. I also did not want to see Oriana." Though, she shook her head slowly. "The thing is. With Shepard there? I found I could do better. Funny, isn't it?"

Legion soon looked at her with some odd interest. She noticed. So she asks, "What is it?"

"We have been having a troubled issue for some time. Miranda." Legion, leaned in slowly. Looking around for others to listen. When he was certain, he asks, "As a genetically engineered specimen of organic perfection. Can you tell us? Does the need of organic life to pass on it's genetics matter the most to itself? Was this the reason you saved your sister? She and you are of a similar organic stock. Was this in a way, part of organic survival?"

Miranda seemed to think on that one. A moment, she smiled though. "I can honestly say Legion. That was not part of my genetic upbringing." A proud smile she told Legion. "I saved her Legion. Not because she's my sister. Because I love her." To that, she blushed now. "In fact. It's probably not far to the reason you care so much about Tali on her mission. If that was Oriana…" Then, she whispers, "Wait a minute, did you just trick me?"

"No." Legion soon held his hands together, telling Miranda with a slight ruffle of his brows, which made Miranda grin widely. "We simply were transfering data between working members of our consensus."

"Oh, and when did I become a part of the Geth consensus?"

"No." Legion then said, to her alarm. "We are speaking of our consensus. Not that of the Geth." This, Legion stood. "Thank you Miranda."

Miranda was looking down at the floor, was he saying he was not part of the… "Wait." Miranda stood up, walking to him. Her sashaying hips twist as she rushed toward him. "Legion? Are you forming a consensus outside of the Geth?"

Legion turned to her and just said, "Yes."

"Why?"

"We have to. There is data that we must know for ourselves before sharing with the Geth." To this, he motioned to Miranda. "It is not far from how you, Miranda. Take the time to make a act without Shepard-Commander." Legion then told her with his head pitched towards the Life Support wing. "While we appreciate your time. We need to talk with Thane. We still need more data on organic relationships."

"Organic relationships?" Miranda, smiled then saying, "Legion? You know something?" She suddenly pat his shoulder, scratching her chest with a slight awkward glance around, "Well. Okay. Genetics? They don't define every organic. You know? Especially in the case of relationships. Sometimes they are rather, sparatic?"

"Yes." Legion seemed to now notice her odd behavior. "Are you okay Miranda?"

"I am. I just can't understand how a Geth could be this relatable." Miranda then blinked, and cocked her head, "Legion?" When he looked at her, she asks, "Why are you calling me Miranda? Not Operative-Lawson?"

Legion seemed to say plainly. "With this recent data we have accessed you, Operative-Lawson, are a friend. Through Tali we recognize the importance of using a first name basis for close friends. Do you wish we do not do this?"

Miranda then chuckled, saying, "No. It's alright I just…" She looked down, sadly. "I'm not used to that. Is all. People do label me a Ice Queen." Though, he gave a nod. "Which you noticed?"

"Yes." Legion then told her with some twist of his lens, "We have recognized this. Even if it is true? We believe that there is no reason for this to be so. You are as able to feel as we."

Miranda slowly crossed her arms, asking, "Soo, I'm as able to feel as a artificial intelligence, that only recently learned the ability to 'feel' through self augmentation?" Legion looked at her a moment as she said with a kind smile for her. "That's a good start."

---

On the planet side. It was the halls where after several stops to these 'buoy' links. The group consisting of Tali our team leader, Garrus the 'muscle' of sort and last forming the group Fletch the salarian security specialist had made their way towards the location holding the survivor a lone varren. What little that was however told is that the strange varren also seems to be doing well considering the travel in a lone ship.

As they reached this room the first thing Fletch did was unlock the door and let Tali walk in. Fletch told her, "We haven't done a lot with the varren. I had some people watch over it. Asari commandos if I am not mistaken?"

Tali saw two asari. One was standing arms crossed, and sighing just as they enter. "Thank the goddess." The asari walked over begging, "Please, tell me you're here to relieve us?" When she saw Fletch her eyes blink mostly confused. "Wait, Fletch? What are you doing here?"

Fletch smiled saying, "Well we have visitors for the survivor."

"Prisoner." The asari raised her finger, declaring, "That thing should be locked up and thrown into a cell where nothing, I mean nothing will ever have to cross paths again."

Garrus did not like this. He asks, looking to Tali as she showed her own concern by looking around nervously. "What do you mean? Is it dangerous?"

"Dangerous? Hell yes! It ate my datapad, it gnawed at my boot." To that, she raised her right leg showing the gnawed boot and drool. "The thing urinated in my coffee. Which, I'm not even going to begin how insane that was! This monster has done nothing, nothing but terrorize me the entire time!"

However, the other Asari giggled as she waves behind herself saying, "Oh you're just a baby! He's been a sweetheart with me!"

To that, the first asari warns, as she glared at the monster now tugging a chew toy with the second asari. "OH that's because you gave it a bath which might I add, she freaking got one with it." Turning, she shook her head, "She bloody got naked with that animal! It snapped at me the first second I tried to give it a bath! The moment she is all, 'well maybe he just doesn't like to bathe alone? I know I don't!' it's wagging it's tail and excited as can be! I try to push it off the couch, snap! She softly motions him, jumps right down!"

Tali finally pushed her way past the complaining woman whom now was just sounding like a frustrated, jealous lover. Which it was actually the truth as Fletch tried to assure this woman that her and her partner were just having some marital problems. In any case, Tali saw the varren and it looked normal. At first it was playing with the one woman. Yet as Garrus asks, "Tali?"

The varren's head shot up with the toy in his jaws. It was there a sudden flash of memory seemed to 'click' in the beast's head. Then it dropped the toy and ran straight for Tali. Tali can only scream as the beast launched into her, and threw her down on her back with it jumping, barking and yapping with some excited attempt to 'talk' to her. Tali just groaned as she's being picked up by Fletch. "Keelah, I think it could be?" Seeing Garrus kick his boot a little. She giggled adding, "I remember he thought not so kindly about you."

Garrus just glared but the varren did not look to care. Now it sat before Tali blinking at her a bit. Tali looked to the asari and Fletch, asking, "Can we have a moment alone with him?"

Fletch just gave a nod and said he needed a report on the animal. The last thing said though was the friendlier asari called, "I'll see you later Shifty!"

Tali's head slowly looked up to Garrus, then to the asari, "Shifty?"

"Yeah, he responds to it. I noticed he cocked his head when some workers walked by, and I mentioned how shifty some the quarians have been acting. He looked to me and honestly it's the only word he responded to." With that, the door closed.

Tali sighed as she got down on a knee before the varren. "So. Shifty… or, shold I call you Shift?"

The varren barked extremely happily. Then wagged his tail. Tali gave a nod. "Seems like we were right."

"How?" Garrus got down raising a brow, he asks, "How did this thing get here? Why is it in a varren again?" He shrugged, "I mean, why not another batarian?"

The varren just gave a snort, and nudged his head to the doors. When Tali looked, she admits, "I don't see many batarians here. Possibly. He hasn't found a new host?" Then she asks, confused, "Or her? I really don't know if we should…?"

Just then the varren began to sniff the air. Garrus shrugged though, asking, "Okay so we found it? What do we do now?"

"Now we try to get it out of here. Perhaps Mordin can figure what to do? Or better yet? We use him to find out where he came from. A starmap!" That's when Tali started to try and load her omni-tool. "Here, can you show…?" Just then, Tali saw him walking to the door snarling a bit. "What's wrong?"

At this point the asari came back in, the one bloody. The nicer one in fact was bleeding and outside, Fletch had smashed a panel from the station into the skull of a quarian that looks to be trying to attack them. Closing the door and locking it, Fletch screams, "Get back!"

Fletch covers the door. Tali pulled out her pistol as Garrus grabbed his sniper rifle. Taking point farther from the door Garrus asks, "What the hell happened?"

Fletch explains as he still covers the door. "One of the workers attacked us. He started to claw at her. The next I knew, I shot him but he didn't fall he kept coming." Turning, he even screamed, "I planted a shot between his eyes! It went through his visor!"

Just then the varren snapped violently at the wounded Asari. The chaos leads to him biting into her throat and gnashing violently. The angrier asari screamed seeing someone she loved being killed in her eyes. So she began firing at the varren, it snapping and running toward the ventilation in the room. As she fired, Tali was the one to push the woman's weapon down. "Stop! We need that varren!"

The asari screamed something mostly intangible through her anger. Pushing Tali she began firing again but the varren seemed to have ripped the grating off and somehow crawled into the vents. With that being the case the angry merc just lost herself at the vent trying desperately to shoot at the monster.

Garrus helped Tali up before asking, "Really? Now she's gone crazy? I swear this can't get any worse."

Fletch then screamed as he turned to the decapitated asari body starting to shift and twitch mindlessly towards him. The angry Asari had saw this. In her desperation, the woman grabbed the body just, crying, and that's when it hugged her, and her screams grew loudly as blood pooled from her body where the arms wrapped.

Garrus screams, as he got out his sniper rifle, "Get back! Now!" He aimed, firing into the chest at the heart, but that did not stop it. The hugging asari corpse was when Garrus turned to the other screaming woman and cocked his next shot, shooting her in the head.

Fletch, stood there watching the hugging body suddenly just let go, and lay there. Looking dead. Fletch looked to Garrus and Tali, asking, "What just happened?"

Tali just watched as the other body started to move slowly. She whispers, "No idea but I have a bad feeling…" She pulled out her shotgun, the personally made geth shotgun. As the one woman stood up she warns, "Garrus?"

Garrus saw it though. He said, "Impossible! I shot her in the head." Turning, he made a back step. "Fletch! Tali! Here, help me with the desk!"

Tali though shook her head, aiming the gun. When she fired she screamed though, as it made her flop back into the wall. The thermal clip pops immediately as she had no idea how Legion set this gun to use an entire clip, for a powerful full charged blast. KEELAH Legion! The kick was bad enough! She had to hold on a bit tighter… oh, of course. The new grip. He wanted her to use it, and so. Argh… Geth.

Garrus stood there gawking as did Fletch. Tali saw why too as she pushed off the desk, whispering, "Did I do that?"

The shot decimated the upper body of the woman. Yet the legs step towards them, slowly. That's when suddenly it dropped down at the thermal clip that was discharged from the shotgun still burning. This made them watch for a while as the two bodies lay still. Which, Fletch assumed meant they were dead yet when he stepped toward the lower torso, it's legs began to crawl toward him. He screamed, "Shit!" He saw Garrus pull out his assault rifle, firing the body until the was sure, it can not move. The body twitched, but it did not move. Then as the rounds cool down, it lay still.

Fletch asks, shakily, "What, in the name of my family's clutch, was that?"

Tali did not have a clue. Yet she did say the smartest thing so far. "Stand back. Let me just try and think." Which she did. Mostly, just about how insane this got in so short a time. Eventually, Tali held her visor groaning at how it turned faster than most technical bypass programs. Though, she really can't argue the speed of processing over this.

"Tali?" Garrus looked at her now when she just sat on the wall behind her. Seeming overwhelmed. "Tali? What about calling the others?"

"Right." She checked her omni-tool and found, "Looks like we have to work with the fact the buoy system is so out dated."

After trying to hail Jack and Zaeed a while. Tali soon shook her head to no answer. "They aren't-," then the sound of Jack calling back. It made everyone look up. "Jack? Are you there?"

"Y-yeah. The co-connection is dic-ey. What-t's up?"

Tali sighed for a moment. Looking at the bodies now. "We were just attacked the varren is gone. Is everyone okay?"

"Y-yeah? Why? Ever-ryone is fine. You were att-tack-ked by the varren?"

"No." Tali seemed to realize messages were worn or warped, so she said, "Be alert. Danger."

Jack then just said. "Al-lways am short st-tuff."

Tali turned to Fletch asking as she signed off. "Can you tell me what caused this?"

"No. Not at all." He looked at the bodies. "I never saw this before."

Tali believed him, but that means… "Those things attacking the facility. Perhaps they are inside?"

"No Geth have entered this facility. The only people in since the attacks, or even before them were the few survey scouts that returned."

Tali looked up at him puzzled. "Survey scouts? You mean, out there? They came back before this attack?"

"Relatively." Fletch now held his chin, "Actually, it was odd. They returned from supposedly machine failure. Even so, we checked their equipment." This, made him ask, "Wait? The quarian that attacked us outside, he was part of that team. No. Could they have done something to them?"

Tali gave a nod telling him, as she looked at the bodies. "Has to be. What did they do though?" She got on a knee, finding the blown torso twitching to her closeness. Then, she looked at the other one not moving. That's odd. She whispers, softly, "They move when I get close. Yet…" she looked up at Garrus, "Garrus? Can you do me a favor? Shoot a round from your sniper rifle and pop the sink over there?" Tali was pointing at the corner the still together body was.

Garrus gave a nod then he popped the shot and sink, discharging it to the corner. When the sink bounced off the wall and rolled there a while. The dead arm flaps about, wrapping fingers and palm over the burning hot sink. Tali seemed to whisper to herself a little before standing up and looking out at the door. Then she says, with some concern. "Garrus? Can you get your assault rifle ready?"

Garrus gave a nod, shifting weapons, "Why?"

"Just shoot that body over there and then cover the door." She waited as Garrus did what she asks, she even warned, "Aim for the arms and legs. If you can."

Garrus saw Tali then walk to the door the two bodies twitching. Next she warns, "Fletch… if this quarian is out here? Can you use an Overload on him?"

Fletch gave her a nod. "Of course." Making a step, she snaps at him, and he asks, "What?"

"Careful where you step! Don't touch those bodies."

"I wasn't planning on it." Still, he was more careful.

Tali then brought up her drone, and opened the door leaning on the wall. The drone spun about and flew out, with the second one. Which, the quarian they mentioned was standing screaming when they attacked. Fletch used an overload attack to destroy the drones and his shields. That's when Tali screamed, "Garrus! Shoot him! Arms and legs!"

Garrus went on the offensive and started blasting the legs first, making the charging quarian flop forward, and thus he fired at the arms. The quarian screamed and jerked with his legs and arms twitching… then slowly, they started moving again.

Tali now grabbed her pistol, firing into the head of the thing before releasing every other round into the arms and legs. That's when she said, "I think I got what's happening."

Tali motioned to the dead bodies inside the room, and this one out here. "Garrus? Does this remind you of anything?" Garrus though shook his head no. She then asks, "Dragon's Teeth?"

At first, he didn't know what she meant. Then it clicked. "Husks?"

Fletch asks, "Wait, I heard Husks do not talk and that one, was talking. Well screaming. With words."

Tali gave a nod, "Yes, but there's something about this. They are like husks. Yet there is more to it." She got down on a knee, and said as she looked at the body of the dead quarian. "These things are like a virus. They spread from host to host. I think by touch. Perhaps like how Husks work but on a smaller scale, this is a strange way to make them." Lowering her head though she says worriedly, "Yet they talk. That means something can talk through them. I think?"

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"I met one of these men before. I think." Tali recalled the funny talking Quarian. "Also, the way they attack with their heads destroyed? It tells me something is controlling these things. Least until it can not do so, properly. Then the devices are like a virus just searching a new host. Something to control." To that, she motioned before. "They try to link to anything hot, warm blooded." This, she warns, "Meaning any living thing in general."

Fletch got it. Or least he was pretty sure he understands her reasoning. "The team that came back from mechanical errors were actually under control by those things. They got inside. Then they attacked letting them become mingled with our entire staff and now, chances are? We'll never find them all." This made him lower his head frowning a bit. "I can't believe…"

Garrus was kind of confused, he shot his eyes back and forth before asking, "How did you not check their vitals?"

"Mechanical failure?" That, he asks, "What would be the reason?"

Garrus just assumes it's a logical thing to do! The cold outside. Tali then warns, "That's not the worst of it. For the moment, we still have a mission. Yet we have a serious problem. Those things, they are controlled by the same thing controlling the geth. So if that's the case? Then reaper tech?"

Garrus looked to Tali when it hit, his eyes growing as his jaw hung on the words. "Apex."

"Yeah." She sighed heavily. "Apex."

---

Deep space. The turian frigate was making it's way when a message is relayed to it. Apex turns a channel for communication on his ship to ask, "What is it?"

"To current program paramater. Integration has been optimal. Enemy force will be integrated swiftly through channels."

Apex seemed to click his mandibles. "Good. Continue with your plan. I want this matter contained. Did you avquire the varren yet?"

"Negative."

"Why?" Apex turned to the communication screen. "You were supposed to remove it, and begin mass infection, correct?"

"Yes. However, unknown active agents caused plan distortion. Current additional personel has caused considerable delay."

Apex narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"The off planet force used a mako tank to force unit retreat. As well recently refused acquisition of the specimen. It does not know as of this time what other issues may occur."

Apex slowly, slowly shook his head. His eyes baring anger as he snarled this time. "What off planet force? Specify!"

"Two quarian special force members, a turian member as well two human members."

"What?" That was, how could five people? He held his brow, the thrusters slow as he stopped driving. "Specify. Specify now! You blasted…."

"Gahl Uhn'cencis, flotilla." Then, Apex's turian eyes glow red with his standing biotic flare, as it lists, "Tali'zorah, Normandy SR-2. Garrus Vakarian, Normandy SR-2. Subject Zero:Jack, Normandy SR-."

Suddenly, as it was about to list out the last name and part to the ship model with the data it was retrieving for Apex; the screaming biotic reered his fist into the control console. Suddenly shouting, "SHEPARD!" As he blew the console, and snapped violently around. His ship lurched to a halt but it was not long, before in his rage, he screamed pushing around him a biotic flare that cause the ship to start sparking off damaged by the exertion of power.

As the ship now was 'broken' here with no leave. The turian fell over panting hard as his body shook. Then his gold eyes look frightened as he jumped to the consoles. Starting to work on the devices, seeing the damage. He whispers softly, "Can't stay. Not long. Don't know how long. Won't be long." To that, he started looking around, "Find a gun. End it. Get it out of my head."

As the turian saw the gun on a table he ran towards it. Yet when he grabbed for it, a red biotic flush formed in his eyes. Stumbling back he held his chest groaning before hunching onto his very haunches with a stupor back. Soon standing toward his devices the red eyed turian snarled bitterly. "Not this time Shepard."

Apex began to work on his ship now. Realizing every minute he was out here. Shepard, was there. Ruining his work again. Not seeming worried at all over that pistol he just seconds ago was reaching for. Let alone why.

---

Garrus, Tali and Fletch were trying to get to the tower to repair communications. Yet when they have to stop to turn on a buoy it slows them down. Tali went to actually link to one, when suddenly she whispers, "What?"

Fletch turned asking, "What's wrong?" He had an assault rifle for if things got hectic. They came to a conclusion, mass-fire weapons can damage limbs faster than the other weapons, throug this it was safer to try and disable these things. Though no more were attacking yet. Fletch then asks, "Something wrong?"

Tali tried again but, "It won't let me link with my tool."

Garrus turned to her then tried as well. Which, he says, "She's right. It won't let me either."

Fletch smiled a little. "Sometimes they get locked out. I bet one of the repair staff did something. Here, I have an override code." Waving his hand with his tool on, he seemed to nod as it began to hum. "There it is. Seems it was…" Just then, he heard a funny noise.

"MOVE!" With the noise Fletch's eyes grew, and he grabbed Tali and Garrus by the elbows screaming, "MOVE!"

Before they can get far the device, along with the wall explode. Ice and snow pours into the hall, collapsing some of the corridors then. It was a heavy, fast blinding mess that covered the three in the debris.

On the bridge, Gohl that lead mechanic soon said, "Oh, not good." He stood, tapping at his screens. "Not good!"

Zaeed, was hunched on a monitor behind someone as he heard the guy yammering. So he came over, asking as Jack stops kicking idly her boot on a wall from boredom, "What's wrong?"

Gohl told Zaeed. "I was watching the buoy link up stats, and so far I was able to follow Fletch and the others. Yet something happened. On of the buoy blew up." Turning, he shook his head telling Zaeed. "I'm not sure how but I think they may have been caught in an explosion."

Glaring angrily Zaeed rubbed the back of his head, "Bloody hell. How can that happen?"

"These are old systems. It happens more than you think." Gohl, began checking the systems. "We could take a team down there to dig them out, but that will take too long." Then, he warns, "If we use the emergency passages, we should be able to get through to the tower. The bulkheads have to be disarmed, that's the only reason we did not offer that way before."

"Wait a minute?" Zaeed, looked at the screen. "So you're saying we can still get to the tower? What about the others?"

"Chances were the explosion killed them all. I'd suggest moving to the tower."

Jack just said, "Screw that!" She looked at Gohl telling him, "I'll go! You just fix the tower."

"I need help. Though," Gohl shrugged, "I don't really like biotics. If that's the case… Zaeed?" Zaeed turned to him. "You can accompany me. We'll get the tower running. She can try to help the others. Lami will take the bridge."

Zaeed lowered his head, thinking. Something felt wrong here. He however told him, "Alright, get out there. I'll meet you soon enough." Gohl did but Zaeed watched him leave. Next, he took Jack's wrist, softly. "Do me a favor? Be careful out there."

Jack smiled a bit before asking, "Aww, you worried I might get hurt on you Zaeed?"

"No. It's not that." He warns her, and she took this seriously, "I got a bad feeling. Just get the others on out and meet me at that tower, fast. You got me?"

At first she was worried, so she asks, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I guess. I just have a feeling. I learned to listen to my gutt. It helps keep me alive." With that, he gave a nod. "You know what I mean? Like I have something in the back of my head, but I can't remember." To which, he raised a finger and gave a warning glare, "Don't say it."

"Hm, getting old?" She smirked as he just groaned before walking off. Still, Jack called, "Hey." A nod to him, she warns, "Don't get your ass killed."

"Right." Zaeed just laughed. "You do the same."

---

There was debris and snow all around them. At first, Fletch seemed to cough non stop. Tali and Garrus pulled him into a corner of the chamber they were in, a area where the roofing and the ice fell just enough, it was open to move. Garrus warns, "It's going to get cold quick."

Tali saw Fletch with his injuries the brunt of this got him, and it shows on his back. She asks, "Fletch? Are you okay?" She got on a knee. "Kee'lah. You were hurt bad."

Fletch smiled as he shook there in place. "Not too bad. Really. Honest…" He shook then asking, "Ahh, hey. You two, need to worry about oxygen, and the cold."

"So do you."

Fletch smiled a bit lowering his head. "Right. Well, seeing I don't feel the cold. I'll just, worry you two need to worry about it."

Garrus soon started to shift the outer area but it caused the area to almost collapse. A snarl and he got on a knee telling Tali. "He's right. We're going to have to get out of this."

Tali seemed to understand. So she got up coming beside Garrus. Yet she realized why he's working to get them out. Seeing his eyes looking around madly for a place to get out. Tali took his hand, saying, "Garrus. It's okay. We'll get out."

Garrus saw that hand holding his now. A hard squeeze, he looked at her a moment. A smile and he told her, "Yeah, I know." A shrug, he shied his eyes, feeling uncomfortable. "It's just. I hate the cold."

"I know." Tali sighed though sitting down. "Did you try contacting the others?"

Fletch just warned them. "That buoy was rigged." A shift, he held his side, and scoots a little forward. "I think. It was meant to kill someone. Me."

"From those things?"

"No." Shaking his head, Fletch warns, "That can't be it. This had to be set up by someone else. Someone with high rank and the crew were not that high. The other thing is. We've had these accidents happening a long time now. I just can't understand. That kind of trap. It had to be turned on. Who would turn it on, at a time like this?"

Tali just looked confused. Does that even have anything to do with those husk monsters? Or the attack? Perhaps there was someone else here, trying to kill Fletch. Though why they would take now of all times. To risk a stupid attack like this. Desperation mixed with oppurtunity was all there could be. Though what could be worth it, that much? What kind of oppurtunity could come along all of a sudden?

---

Zaeed and Gohl seemed to be stopping at one of the bulkheads. When Gohl dropped down working on the device. Eventually, Zaeed looked him over trying to figure something out. It was eating at him like crazy. "So you been here a while?"

"No. A short time." He turned with a little nod. Gohl opened the bulkhead and then, stood holding up a sub machine gun. Pointing it, Zaeed watched him move with the gun pretty good. "I transferred here shortly after Fletch was promoted to lead security staff."

"Really?" Zaeed walked behind him, asking, "What'd you do before that?"

"Odd jobs. Random work really." Then, he lowered his head, "Why?"

"I know you." Zaeed stood, holding his assault rifle at his side. "I know you. Where?"

"I did a lot of repair work across space. Mr. Massani." He was walking, Zaeed following behind sowly. Eventually, he asks, "What's the problem?"

"It's just. I got a feeling it's more than that." Soon, Zaeed turned seeing no one. The next bulkhead was just ahead. Zaeed slowly looked then toward the buoy Gohl turned on. When he did, he looked around trying to think about this. What exactly was coming together was, unsettling. "So you watched the others as they were turning on the buoy link up right?" He looked up, asking, "Wasn't it one of them that blew up?"

"Maintenance problem."

"Right, but uh? Funny thing?" Zaeed, steps back and gave a snort out his one nostril. Seeming to get a feeling all over again. "Last you said you were maintenance and I see you got these bulkheads up easy enough? My question there is. These were what was keeping the others from taking this route. Might be maybe someone wanted us to go this way? Somebody maybe like you?"

Gohl seemed to be still as Zaeed glared in the back of his head. So Gohl stood with his head hanging a little. At first, he looked broken or something. Yet when he turned his eyes were joyful, the iradescent things full of mirth.

"All this time. Fletch never could figure it out. You on the other hand? Oh, I knew. Back in the Krogan DMZ. You were something else Massani."

Zaeed went to grab raise his rifle, but Gohl raised his hands warning, "Hold it! You do that? You chance the tower not being fixed in time! Think Massani. All those people, like that tattooed freak you were with."

"Watch your mouth! You psychotic son of a…" Zaeed snarled angrily as the other man chuckled going back to work. He wanted to pull that trigger. Oh how he did. Remembering that mission. Back on the planet with the Vorcha, Krogan war chief. A snarl and he bit his teeth down so tightly one felt as though it chipped. Here he is. After all this time. He could never find him but now. Now, it looks like he's here.

The man stood. Gohl. As the bulkhead lifts up. Turning, he gave a nod and motioned his arms, "After you sir!"

Zaeed screamed as he pusehd on, shaking his head. "So what's your plan? Kill me after we get to the tower?"

"Well." To that, Gohl said with some pleasure. "I've got to admit. It'll be a bit more something else than that. Just keep this in mind Zaeed. You and me?" He chuckled heavily with joy. Hefting the massive bag with a unseen clock timer on the top. "We'll finish this with a bang."